Fighting

PG-13

Released Apr 24, 2009

1 hr. 45 min.

Drama

Action

List

39%

130 Reviews

Tomatometer

36%

250,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Shawn MacArthur (Channing Tatum) barely makes a living selling counterfeit goods on the streets of New York. But he has a natural talent for street fighting, which con-man Harvey Boarden (Terrence Howard) wants to put to good use. Forming an uneasy alliance with Boarden, Shawn becomes top dog in the bare-knuckle-brawl circuit, taking down pro boxers, martial artists and ultimate fighters one by one. Shawn wants out of this dark world, but he faces the fight of his life to get there.

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered Dec 19

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Apple TV

Rent Fighting on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

Critics Consensus

Though Fighting has a likable lead performer, and the fight scenes are impressive, the paper-thin plot ultimately unravels.

Read Critics Reviews

Dan W

A very realistic take on how an actual street fight is and what makes it special is Tatum doing scenes with actual street fighters from the hood. But calling a movie "fighting" and having it more of "modeling" material is severely disappointing and ruins it for people. It does have a good realistic approach and it isn't insanely flashy and redicoulsy obnoxious which like I said is great but if you're looking for a movie about fighting, this isn't a great watch, but its alright. If you're looking to see ludcrous ammounts of a stud with his shirt off then this one is a must watch. I wanted to see fighting and not modeling and silly ammounts of body bragging. It has its moments of decent scraps but very few, and its really off putting for what the title of the movie is.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

08/14/23

Full Review

Cameron L

Obviously trying to be like Rocky, but the film is intriguingly okay with some of the script being awkward. Surprisingly the fight scenes aren't meat headed

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/21/23

Full Review

James S

Can't overstate how much I hated this film. The script was so bad. Terence Howard's acting was completely wooden. If I heard one more line like "so that's x thousand dollars, right?" "Yeah, you're gonna make x thousand dollars" I was ready fling my boot at the TV.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

05/18/23

Full Review

charlie l

Some terrible characterisation and plot details stop this film from achieving greatness.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This movie saw how much money Never Back Down made and said lets do that.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I Loved the Movie. 😊

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/16/19

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Dito Montiel

Director

Channing Tatum

Shawn MacArthur

Terrence Howard

Harvey Boarden

Zulay Henao

Zulay Velez

Luis Guzmán

Martinez

Roger Guenveur Smith

Jack Dancing

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

84%

92%

Warrior

22%

54%

Biker Boyz

37%

80%

The Guardian

41%

81%

Ladder 49

TRAILER

for Ladder 49

60%

73%

Real Steel

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Critics Consensus: Fighting Is Down For The Count

Five Favorite Films with Terrence Howard

Box Office Guru Preview: Don’t You Dare Mess with Beyoncé’s Man

View more photos

Joshua Rothkopf

Time Out

Rated: 3/5

Nov 16, 2011

Full Review

Perri Nemiroff

CinemaBlend

Call a movie Fighting, you expect action. Only include shots of Channing Tatum shirtless in the trailer, you expect to see half-naked Tatum. Fighting doesn't deliver either.

Rated: 2/5

Aug 14, 2010

Full Review

Edward Porter

Times (UK)

All of this, however, is plainly just a veneer on a solidly generic punch-up movie, and it thus becomes a drag. A more cartoonish approach would probably have been more fun.

Rated: 2/5

May 17, 2009

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

The action can hardly hope to make up for every other part of the experience that’s lacking.

Rated: 1.5/4

Sep 5, 2023

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

At least there's humor found in desperation and comic relief in the quagmire of hustling.

Rated: 5/10

Nov 28, 2020

Full Review

Kevin Carr

7M Pictures

Yes, both Channing Tatum and Zulay Henao... have careers for their looks alone, and they'd have better careers delivering pizza than delivering dialogue.

Rated: 1.5/5

Mar 2, 2011

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

Shawn MacArthur (Channing Tatum) barely makes a living selling counterfeit goods on the streets of New York. But he has a natural talent for street fighting, which con-man Harvey Boarden (Terrence Howard) wants to put to good use. Forming an uneasy alliance with Boarden, Shawn becomes top dog in the bare-knuckle-brawl circuit, taking down pro boxers, martial artists and ultimate fighters one by one. Shawn wants out of this dark world, but he faces the fight of his life to get there.

Director: Dito Montiel
Executive Producer: Andrew Rona, Lisa Bruce
Screenwriter: Dito Montiel, Robert Munich
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Rogue Pictures, Scion Films, Relativity
Rating: PG-13 (Intense Fight Sequences|Brief Strong Language|Some Sexuality)
Genre: Drama, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 24, 2009, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $23.0M

Most Popular at Home Now