Channing Tatum ... Shawn Mac
ArthurTerrence Howard ... Harvey Boarden
Zulay Henao ... Zulay Valez
Michael Rivera ... Ajax
Flaco Navaja ... Ray Ray
Peter Anthony Tambakis ... Z (as Peter Tambakis)
Luis Guzmán ... Martinez
Anthony DeSando ... Christopher Anthony
Roger Guenveur Smith ... Jack Dancing
Brian J. White ... Evan Hailey (as Brian White)
Ivan Martin ... Stockbroker Jerry
Danny Mastrogiorgio ... Trader Jim
Altagracia Guzman ... Alba Guzmán
Gabrielle Pelucco ... Lila
Angelic Zambrana ... Kimo's Girl
In director Dito Montiels 2009 drama, FIGHTING, Channing Tatum (G.I. JOE:
THE RISE OF COBRA) portrays Shawn, a young man from
the South trying to make a living on
the streets of New York City. When Shawn gets into an altercation ... Full Descriptionwhile selling bootleg CDs and DVDs, a con man (Terrence Howard) who witnesses
the brawl takes him under his wing and introduces Shawn to NYCs underground street-fighting circuit. In
these bare-knuckle battles, Shawn has a chance to win significant money--and also
the heart of
the beautiful Zulay (Zulay Henao). A film that goes beyond its deceptively simple title and premise, FIGHTING is elevated by
the keen eye of Montiel, who also co-wrote
the script with Robert Munic, and
the charismatic presence of Tatum, who previously had a minor role in
the writer-directors cinematic debut, A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS. Although
the film goes through
the standard up-by-
the-bootstraps dramatic cycle,
the performances of Tatum, Howard, and Henao make
the story surprisingly compelling, and
the fight sequences are exceptionally fierce, giving
the movie considerable added zest. Though less high-profile than combat classics such as ROCKY and
THE KARATE KID, FIGHTING fits well into
the category of revered
movies of
the boxing/martial-arts subgenre