Donnybrook

Greetings again from the darkness. Is it a coincidence that I'm reviewing this moving on Charles Darwin's birthday? "Survival of the fittest" could be the subtitle to writer-director Tim Sutton's bleak film adapted from the novel by Frank Bill. The film would have us believe that, once born into poverty and a hopeless existence, the only daily decisions to be made are: Do I try to survive another day? Should I kill myself? Should I kill someone else?

Is that bleak enough for you? Sutton's film provides glimpses of each of the three questions, but mostly it's an expose' on the violence that is generated from a community of poverty, addiction, abuse, and crime. It isn't clear and doesn't matter which of those things comes first ... they all lead down the same path. Jamie Bell plays "Jarhead" Earl, a military veteran looking for an escape route for his young kids and his junkie wife (Dara Tiller). Having a knack for fighting, and an apparent ability to take a beating, Earl decides the only way out is by winning the $100,000 grand prize for the Donnybrook ... a no-rules bareknuckle cage fight. Of course his only route to the entry fee is via armed robbery. Have I mentioned this is bleak?

Earl doesn't talk much, but he tries to protect his wife from the local meth dealer, a brutal savage named Angus (Frank Grillo, THE GREY) who has an awkward partnership with his younger sister Delia (Margaret Qualley, NOTIVTIATE) as they make the rounds taking care of business. Angus is the type that resorts to violence in every situation, and we witness his lack of value on human life is just about every scene he is in. Delia is a bit more complicated, as she longs for a way out, and accepts even a momentary reprieve. To top it off, we have a Detective Whalen (James Badge Dale, "The Pacific") who is "chasing" this brother-sister outlaw duo ... well at least he chases them between drug and booze fueled sidetracks.

The story takes place in the rural Midwest with towns and people those on both coasts never give much thought. When Earl finally reaches the Donnybrook, we are treated to what appears to be a redneck Burning Man festival where the revelers only stop hooting and beer guzzling long enough to sing the National Anthem while the American flag waves. We are left not knowing if this is a commentary on poverty, male aggression, or the forgotten class. It has some tonal similarities to the excellent OUT OF THE FURNACE, but isn't close to that level. None of filmmaker Sutton's first 3 movies have found much of an audience outside of festivals, and it's a safe bet this one won't either.

A tale of strife in a rural part of America, where an ex-marine does what he can only do to survive and care for his family, it parallels with the life of a crazed family of Meth dealers looking for a way out as well, with contentious and evil methods, it leads to a big free for all at Donnybrook, a last man standing contest, where the ex-marine see a opportunity to use his skills to get his family out of squalor and find some redemption in his soul, but it all comes with a price for everyone involved, this one folks is not easy to watch, but you take it in and realize that there is a message somewhere within this film.

Frank Grillo can be quite scary - or at least play scary and evil as good as anyone else can. Jamie Bell is really good in this too (and he needs to be with Grillos character overtaking and really being a menace and presence here), though for me I always remember Billy Elliott when I see him. Not his fault and as said, he is quite good in this, it is just the perception one sometimes has.

The movie is moody and dark. Some very bad things are happening to some good or at least rather innocent beings ... And all leads to the final fight! Quite literally also ... a Drama that does not hold back a punch and might challenge some viewers.

I am like hella confused as to why some people are saying this movie is crap and how movies are only meant to entertain when literally that is not what movies or any kind of art is all about! Movies can be emotional, gritty, and dark as well.

People are saying that this movie is too violent and dark and some people don't like that and that is fine, but that is literally the whole point of this movie. I'm probably gonna get some thumbs down for saying that but oh well!

The pacing of the movie was pretty good down to the characters, music, and the story. It's really great story about surviving in a world of extreme poverty while also living in the messed up world of meth cookers/dealers. Frank Grillo's character barely talked in this movie and I wasn't sure how I liked it at first, but overtime, I began to enjoy it. Grillo's character Angus has this dark and menacing outlook and is meant to strike fear and even shock in the audience as well as some of the characters. He's very controlling of his sister and is pretty psychotic to pretty much killing a whole bunch of people as well as forcing his sister to do things that are pretty messed up. But I felt as if that is literally the point.

There are a lot of drug movies/shows out there that I feel as if glorify the life of drug dealers, but this movie kind of gives a more honest perspective about how messed up it really is. And some people may say that a situation like this may never happen, and I think when they say that, they don't really know or understand the life of a drug dealer and what it does to the family dynamics, whether you are the addict or the dealer.

Overall, it was a good movie and I would watch it again.

This film tells the story of two men who struggle to make ends meet. They turn to a big fight to earn a big prize.

The story is quite confusing to start with, as characters are not introduced. After figuring out who is who, it seems I can get into the story. But no. The pace is super slow, and the long slowly moving shots are just never ending. There is a shot where a young girl walk back and forth in a park for a minute. There is another shot of the boy walking up to a house to take a bicycle for a minute. These scenes are very out of place for a violent action film. In the end, I lost all interest in the film.