'

The Cage Fighter

Play trailer

2:00

The Cage Fighter

Released Feb 2, 2018

1h 21m

Documentary

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

17 Reviews

46%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Although a man promises his wife and daughters that he will not return to competitive mixed martial arts fighting, he secretly begins training for the dangerous sport that gives him a sense of purpose.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Soren Andersen

Seattle Times

Thanks to the extraordinary access Joe and his family granted to Unay, the pain comes through seemingly unfiltered. The anguish is so raw and the sorrow so intense that the viewer feels like a voyeur.

Rated: 3/4

Feb 7, 2018

Full Review

Dennis Harvey

Variety

Though it may leave audiences with a fair number of questions unanswered, "The Cage Fighter" is engrossing and notably well-packaged within its limitations.

Feb 6, 2018

Full Review

Frank Scheck

The Hollywood Reporter

A real-life version of Hollywood boxing-movie tropes.

Feb 4, 2018

Full Review

Jordan M. Smith

Nonfics (Substack)

Beautifully lensed and warmly characterized, it's essentially a nonfiction take on The Wrestler.

Dec 5, 2018

Full Review

Stephen Saito

Moveable Fest

On the right foot not only in terms of its quality, but in being so efficient stylistically and narratively, it risks seeming a little too good to be true.

Nov 1, 2018

Full Review

Todd Jorgenson

Cinemalogue

Although the lines feel blurred between what's real and what's staged, this intriguing documentary doubles as a compelling blue-collar character study about a middle-aged man at a crossroads.

Aug 3, 2018

Full Review

Read all reviews

Audience Member

A rather drab docu-drama that is highly overrated on RT.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Best film about MMA ever made. Amazingly shot.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The fight scenes are raw and filled with tension. A very personal look into the life of this family and all their pain. Such an upclose and genuine look at the struggles human beings create for themselves that you'll likely be left wondering will we ever stop, or at very least, will Joe.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Jeff Unay

Director

Joe Carman

Self

Andrea Meditch

Executive Producer

James Orara

Producer

Jeff Unay

Producer

Ben Winwood

Original Music

Shirkers

99%

80%

Shirkers

Watchlist

Honeyland

100%

86%

Honeyland

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Honeyland

Black Mother

97%

43%

Black Mother

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Black Mother

The Sensitives

100%

%

The Sensitives

Watchlist

Dina

96%

81%

Dina

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Dina

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

The Cage Fighter: Trailer 1

2:00

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

Although a man promises his wife and daughters that he will not return to competitive mixed martial arts fighting, he secretly begins training for the dangerous sport that gives him a sense of purpose.

Director: Jeff Unay
Producer: James Orara, Jeff Unay
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: The Filmmaker Fund, Lineage Film, Cinereach
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 2, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 4, 2018
Runtime: 1h 21m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

Most Popular at Home Now