Rigged

Going in, you have to realize that this is a Freshman effort.

The is the only full length film for director, producer, and editor Jonathan Dillon.

It is the first film for writer Ian Shorr, and it is the only film for the star Rebecca Neuenswander (a fighter in real life).

Chad Ortis, who plays the con man who finds Katherine (Neuenswander), has only an episode of The Bold and the Beautiful under his belt.

A bunch of inexperienced actors in a low budget film doesn't always spell disaster. Despite the fact that the movie is filled with clichés, it keeps your interest, even though you know you will guess the ending.

The story line of this film is about underground boxing. Rebecca Neuenswander acts as a Katherine Parker, a young but promising fighter. Another key character is Michael Dublin (Chad Ortis), a young but experienced promoter. Not a hard guess that this couple has to get through this film in some interesting way.

All right, let me tell you what you won't see in this low budget project. There are no outstanding special effects, no expensive decorations, no catching breath stunts. At the same time, keep in mind that this film isn't just about fights for money, though Rebecca has done an excellent action job while standing against and knocking out numerous tough guys (a matter of taste and fighting experience whether you buy this or not, but I wouldn't say it's impossible totally). First of all, this film is about real life, real relationships and that bitter feeling when you've got nothing to lose, really nothing...

Though the film is currently known as Fight Night, I definitely prefer the original title, Rigged. And while Rigged has many problems -- mostly in the storyline and a lot of the secondary acting -- it is well worth watching just to see Rebecca Neuenswander. She is a find. Not only is she gorgeous, and not only is she a terrific actress, with expressive eyes that light up the screen, but she can fight. I have always been a stickler about sports being portrayed authentically on the screen, and I was happily surprised by Rebecca's fighting skills.

Rigged won't blow you away, and it may not last in your memory too long, but I don't think I'll forget about Rebecca Neuenswander for quite for some time. I am sad that Rigged is apparently her only film, but maybe she'll do more in the future. A director would be lucky to get her.

I was fortunate enough to stumble upon Fight Night or "Rigged" as I was going through the movie channels reading different summaries of all the movies coming on that night. I'm interested in drama and crime movies and this was perfect. A great story of two lost souls that find each other and team together and as the movie goes on, you find the true in depth characters they both are. Chad Ortis plays the role of an underground hustler who tries to run illegal sporting events where he always tries to fix the outcome. Rebecca Neuenswander is one of plays one of the best roles I have seen played in a few years. She is an incredible fighter who goes around and easily defeats all of her opponents in this underground fight circuit. Ortis is obviously pleased with the outcome due to her being a huge underdog in every fight. One great aspect of the movie is the mood Director Jonathan Dillon adds. It is quite a dark mood with great "Friday Night Lights" type music playing throughout the movie which contributes to the viewers emotional attachment to the the movie especially, but also the Ortis and Neunswander. Another great aspect of this movie was it seems as the movies comes to close to a close that it is a predictable ending. That is not at all the case in this film. The ending is without a doubt fabulous. If you are looking for a great movie with an incredible story of greed, love, and dreams, I highly suggest watching this film.

Bad acting, tight fighting scenes, hot brutal lesbian, fake Tom Cruise. What more could you want in a cheap boxing movie?

I sat here at work just now and watched this on Netflix. It doesn't throw any curve balls, but then it isn't a baseball movie.

So, what, right hook? There's some stuttering redneck who can't shoot, a big bearded bald guy who's shaped like a T, and a lot of burnt-sienna makeup to lay out those deep, dark bruises.

There's some slapped-together depth to these characters that's kind of haphazard because I don't see these characters really talking about themselves much. But, really, the style to me is very cultish. If it were less bloody, I suspect a lot of giggling fabulistas would flock to it at midnight with tape around their knuckles.

I dig. It's bad. But I dig.