Jungleland

Fighting for your life ... almost literally speaking in this case. Two brothers, one goal. And yet their relationship is shaky. Or at least it is vulnerable on many things. Trust, having given up so many things ... expectations ... wanting the best for your brother and so many other things. Add a woman and her own issues to the mix ... and it becomes an almost explosive cocktail of sorts.

The acting is more than decent and the story moves along nicely. I reckon you can guess a few things or most depending on how much you invest in thinking ahead of time. Still this is quite the enjoyable movie, where the fight scenes work as much as the dramatic scenes. There is heightened reality to it to ... and an ending that I reckon is bittersweet at best ... or maybe you feel different about it.

I liked it and i felt it but overall it isn't that good, could have been alot better, the cast was great tho. 6.5/10

Is it worth mentioning that the three lead actors are British? Probably not because most people won't notice, they're pretty good actors. Charlie Hunnam (King Arthur) is older brother Stanley who "looks after" younger brother Jack O'Connell (Unbroken) playing Walter who is a skilled fighter. The phrase "if not for bad luck they'd have no luck at all" applies directly to these guys. Their dire situation expectedly leads to spiraling poorer choices which indebt them to a loan-shark who makes them an offer they can't refuse. Thus begins their road trip to a big fight with a big payday... The catch? They have to take Sky (Jessica Barden of Hanna) along with them. Viewers expecting another Warrior or The fighter will be disappointed... This is more a drama. There is a bit of action thrown in to keep fight fans happy, but the film is about the complexities of family relationships, the struggle to realize one's dreams, the hopelessness of failure and redemption of the spirit. The actors suck you into their world and drag you along the seedy and grimy sidewalks of their life. The camera work is very clean, the scenery spans from gritty to beautiful, and the score is always appropriate, but this is a character driven film, and done well.

Well shot and with great performances by the three leads, this is a heartfelt film about lost lives and family. Definitely worth a watch.

I'm not sure how Jungleland managed to go under the radar when it was released a couple of years ago . Perhaps it's because there has been a surge of fighting films in recent years but I'd say that this is a cut above most .

When a devastating loss in the ring leaves Lion and his manager/brother Stan in debt to a local crime boss, they are forced to risk it all in a bare-knuckle boxing tournament as the pair fight for a better life.

I'm not a fan of Charlie Hunnam . Most of his appearances involve a terrible accent or over the top acting . Not this time . Thankfully he just uses his Sons Of Anarchy' voice and he's actually very good as Stan but the stand out performance unsurprisingly is from Jack O'Connell . This is a film where two British actors are absolutely nailing it.

It's a story about family and chasing the dream . One wants to get rich by winning fights the other just wants to settle down and open a laundromat. Sadly the one who wants to win fights isn't the fighter !

I really liked this . It's a bit of a slow burner at times but I was quite happy with that and the ending where they use the Bruce Springsteen song " Dream Baby Dream " is very moving .