Knuckle

It was an interesting documentary. The accents were so thick and completely impenetrable. Apart from the fights themselves I didn't have a clue what was being said. At times it did feel like it was on craggy island.

I got to watch this documentary a couple of days ago and it's a very troubling film about families whose feuds go back more than 40 years that doesn't give any explanation on how it happen. It could be some of those family members had long past on but still it gives you a very disturbing view on how these families would settle a knuckle fight in wanting to settle the scores. The one thing that was troubling me of watching it were the children that had to see their fathers beat the other family up which to me it's a sign of abuse of what their witnessing which I sincerely hope they don't end up growing up like their fathers in wanting to slug a family member. The real heroes go to the wives & mothers who simply want this feud to end so they can be a family again and put aside petty problems that has been going on for too long. I sincerely hope after they watch this film they need to realize this can't continue any longer.

Ian Palmer's fascinating look into the oft hidden world of traveling Irish gypsies and there subsequent bare knuckle boxing is a raw unflinching documentary that while not offering any concrete answers as to why these things happen it's still a must see account of some wholly original real life characters and lifestyles.

Make no doubt about you will need to have subtitles on for Knuckle for it features a set of Irish men whose accent is so thick you would be hard pressed to understand a single sentence. The focus of Knuckle and these men is on James McDonagh a man who has never lost a fight and amongst his fellow kin is likened to some sort of Irish boxing God. James is a bewildering character but an ever watchable one, witness as he proclaims his fighting days are over only to again return to the arena to uphold is families name once more. Capturing James and his family over twelve years is director Palmer who deserves much credit for his work here.

Palmer's direction is not professional in any stretch of the imagination but what it is true to the subject and his ability to have an unflinching eye on proceedings of these family feuds should be commended. With Palmer's hand behind camera the film never feels like it is taking a side in the story or pointing fingers at anyone whether they seem right or wrong, it's a bold directional decision yet allows the film to play out in non-intrusive way.

Knuckle is a gritty violent film that some will find truly repulsive, Knuckle is also a must see for what happens in this story is real, the people are real and the emotions are real. If someone were to make a movie of this story it would seem unrealistic yet here we have an unquestionably honest look at a world that many would prefer not to acknowledge, put it this way if you thought Brad Pitt was the quintessential gypsy boxer you ain't seen nothing yet.

4 swollen knuckles out of 5

Knuckle is a sad story about various factions of one family of Irish Travelers who settle decades-long animosity toward one another through bare-knuckle battles that take place in obscure areas across the Irish landscape. Modern technology plays a big role in their feud. The fights, that pit the toughest men in each of the families against one another, are filmed for immediate viewing by all competing families.

Although the battles, billed as "fair fights" with impartial referees from non-combatant families, show the fighters giving their all, win or lose, it is the insulting and disparaging commentary, captured on film after the fights by the victors' clan members that fuel the feud for years to come. There are isolated shots of women and children. One woman, in particular, spoke at length about the need for all of this to come to an end. The greatest sadness in the film is the legacy that the feuding and fighting brings to the children who are doomed to follow in their dads and uncles footsteps, if not as fighters certainly as haters. One might conclude that these feuding families found a safer way of dealing with their hostility toward one another than shooting or stabbing.

Filmed over a decade-long period from the mid-1990's to mid-2000's, viewers are offered only a glimmer of hope that things could change. But even this is marred by the reality that all it takes is a slight, an insult or a "dis" that could change things in a moment. As for the fighting itself, film-goers will see quite a few bloody battles, one with two out-of-shape grandfathers. But there is nothing to compare with professional boxing or mixed martial arts. These were pure street fights with some grabbing, gouging and biting (although all of that was cause for disqualification). As someone one who knows just enough about boxing I kept wondering, throughout all of the fights, why none of the combatants went for the body.

Everybody has there their own views on travellers . Most of which would not be printable . Knuckles is a film that follows a group of feuding families over a 12 year period who try settle their differences by bare knuckle boxing. This is a rare and fascinating look into a side of life that non travellers very rarely see. These men , who have genuine hate for each other , pitch up and fight sometimes for hours , for the honour of their families and also for big big money. What surprised me about these fight is that it is not as unruly as you might imagine. There is a referee who pulls the fighters apart and keeps order and the families who hate each other are not allowed to watch so to avoid brawls. Another this is , is that they very rarely actually knock each other out. Because these are proud men , they don't stop , so eventually fatigue becomes the winner.

I really enjoyed Knuckles. It showed a group of people who are so fiercely proud of the families they belong to but have an almost Neanderthal way of life.

Well worth watching.