If you like gritty Boxing films, check out Rigged aka Fight Night

If you're looking for a decent fight film to relax to, check out Rigged (the film is also titled Fight Night), which stars Rebecca Neuenswander and Chad Ortis. The film is directed & produced by Jonathan M. Dillion and written by Ian Shorr.

Rigged came out roughly in 2009 after going on the independent film circuit in 2008, the same year was produced.

I took a chance on watching the film and I certainly was NOT disappointed.

Rigged's story is a true underdog story that neither glamorizes nor condemns Boxing. While there is a happy ending, a well-deserved happy one, the ending doesn't have either of the main characters living a life of luxury.

The story begins with Michael Dublin (portrayed by Ortis) at an illegal boxing match where he's instructing his fighter to make the fight entertaining and then take a dive at the end. Things don't go Dublin's way and the fighter not only disobeys but announces the scheme in front of everyone.

Dublin is forced to flee and one would assume he'd lay low and wait until the heat's off him, but NO, he attends an illegal street race, which he also rigged. One of the cars blows off as Dublin planned but the car's driver spots him before he can escape.

Before some of the people can kill Dublin, he's saved by the mysterious Katharine who dispatches one of the men with her fierce Boxing skills.

Dublin is allowed to leave but sees his next meal ticket, Katharine, and pursues her. He manages to find Katharine the next day, practicing her skills and offers his promotion services. Katharine refuses as she already knows that Dublin's crooked.

Katharine, along with several others, is arrested for attending an illegal boxing match.

Dublin manages to get Katharine out of jail where she agrees to fight for him. They begin their cross-country adventure with Katharine, fighting under the moniker “Kid Vixen,” traveling from one fight to another, making their way to the grand event in Miami. Katharine's a skilled fighter who could go legit but chooses the underground circuit.

Katharine sells herself because the crowds don't believe she can drop dudes but she proves them wrong.

There is nothing glamorous about the traveling, either, which made the story more endearing. The two of them ride a beat-up vehicle that dies out and Dublin, with no money to rent a car, ends up stealing another one (though it takes Dublin some time).

What the journey more endearing is that the cuts and bruises Katharine sustained in the previous fights carry onto her next fights. She doesn't appear miraculously healed in time for the next fight, which adds a great layer of realism.

The two bond, not in a romantic way, as they develop a mutual respect for each other.

Dublin shows another side of him in which he's not hustling to be rich. He lost something important as a child, which the story doesn't fully cover, and wants to get back. I was surprised to see that Dublin wasn't a mere hustler trying to make it big.

Katharine's mystery gradually dissipates when Dublin learns of the connection between herself and Clark Richter, his mentor figure and boss, who the grand champion of the event in Miami. The two protagonists initially come off as shallow and one-sided but reveal the deeper depths of their personalities as the story progresses.

Rigged's story is a slow burn but rewarding to watch as the story progresses.

If you do see the film on any streaming service and you like gritty fight films, Rigged is one of those films you should give a chance.

You can read my full and in-depth review on HubPages.

https://discover.hubpages.com/entertainment/Movie-Review-Of-Rigged-aka-Fight-Night