American Fighter

It's basically a rehash of all those down on your luck, fighting 'literally' your way to the top movies. It's no 'Rocky' and there's nothing new or exciting to set it apart but if you like that sort of movie on a much lower budget it's entertaining enough.

When college student Ali learns that he needs to amass a large amount of money in a short space of time in order to pay to fly his mother from Iran to the US he is persuaded by his college friend Ryan to participate in a high-stakes illegal fight club. Although initially successful, Ali soon finds himself having to up the ante in order to raise the necessary cash and pits himself against Muay Thai kick-boxing champion Bas. However, he can't do this alone and gets help from alcoholic ex-fighter Duke...

Unlike a lot of films of this nature our protagonist isn't merely doing this to 'prove himself' or to get 'revenge' as is the case in most of these films. He's actually raising the money for his mother's benefit; this selfless act automatically endeared me to the protagonist and gave me a reason to care. Ali's friend also takes a beating trying to look out for his friend showing that a deep friendship existed between the 2 men.

Much of the film is predictable and it's fair to say that you won't see anything here that you haven't seen before (then again who seriously watches films like this to be surprised???). You watch them for their intensity, the thrill of the fight and to watch the underdog overcome his opposition through a combination of brawn, brains and training and that's exactly what happens here. Director Shaun Piccinino keeps things nice and simple here; the dialogue is mostly straight-laced and as a whole the narrative is focused meaning that the film never goes off on a tangent and becomes dull. There's also a certain intensity to many of the fight scenes that kept me hooked.

With so many good fight related films it is a rather crowded genre and in all honesty American Fighter is a long way from being the best that the genre has to offer, but the idea that Ali isn't just fighting for himself does make it slightly different and it's the heart-warming angle to the story that makes it worth seeing.

American Fighter is a deceiving title as it's not what you might think from it's name. It's actually a harrowing story of a young man fighting on many different levels. He combats racism in 1981 (not a great time to be Iranian in America, see the Iranian hostage crisis), fighting to save his ailing mother who's stuck in a war torn Iran and of course swinging fisticuffs in the ring. All in all this is a heart wrenching and ultimately heart warming tale with really solid performances. Film veterans Tommy Flanagan and Sean Patrick Flanery really shine while new comers George Kosturos an Bryan Craig knock it out of the park!

I highly recommend checking this gritty, fun throwback action flick with tons of heart.

Well, i think this is a predescessor for a forthcoming blockbuster on the silverscreen calender, and if your a lover of shadowboxing and real fistfights with quick knockouts this might be one for you. for the rest of you feinsmackers around the world , this is not a blockbuster at all.

its persian ali, or alexander the great, who is into wrestling, that does an exhange student year in california,usa at the time of the iranian revolution and the iran/iraq war starts, he tries to get his family in safety, but they are stopped and father ,a high rank military, are killed, and mum is put in house arrest. ali then has to pay bribes to a local iranian boss to try to get his mum to safety, and that the groundpillar of the plot.

its is a film that tries its best, and they do have some engaging and quite realistic underground fist fights, but the audience are the same in all fight scenes,and some of the school scenes and that gives a low budget impression. also a film that tries to emotional, with a little bit of love here and there, but its overcliched and does not wave welcome to the ladies of the audience.

how things turns out in the end, i shall not tell, its not a boucket' of roses and it has a great lack of blood and gore, allthough there are piles of testosterone in the crowd, and a world record breaking beard growth on one of the mains, from gillette to hairy corsette in a blink of an eye. the grumpy old man, not having the fight genre as favourite, had to view this because of flannerhy, impressed, no but its a recommend in the end

It was ok. Sort of an 80s movie about something that happened in the 80s. Not quite Bloodsport, but watchable.