Rigged
If you've been reading Heroine Content for long, you know that I have a thing for movies about female athletes, and a particular love for boxers. I'm picky, though--I gave Million Dollar Baby only one star, but I loved Girlfight and gave it full marks. Keep that in mind, as I am about to tell you a lot of nice things about a really bad film.
Rigged (also know as Fight Night, which is what the DVD I got from my RedBox was labeled) is the story of a shady underground boxing promoter, Michael Dublin (Chad Ortis) and a female underground boxer, Katherine (Kat) Parker (Rebecca Neuenswander). The two strike up a relationship based on mutual need and end up becoming friends as they work their way around the south for fights. Oh, and they also address issues from their pasts, blah blah blah. The story is really nothing impressive.
But these things are impressive:
First, Kat Parker KICKS ASS.
We see her lose a fight once, and it's because she was drugged. She's just an incredible badass. And, unlike what happens in Million Dollar Baby (and even, to some extent, in Girlfight), there is no stereotypical scary unsexed woman in the ring with her to serve as a juxtaposition to her sexy self. Why? She fights men. You never see her hit another woman in the film.
Secondly, Kat enters the film by beating the tar out of a large man wielding a club, then stealing a gun from another man, thus rescuing Dublin. Though he does rescue her, much later, it's in a much less valiant scene (he hits a guy with a folding chair).
Third, until the very end (which I will address in a minute), nobody tries to make Kat pretty or doll her up. She spends the majority of the movie in either sparring clothes of baggy shorts and a sports bra or in a tank top/jeans/combat boots combo. She is shaggy haired. She doesn't wear discernable makeup, and when she takes a hit, she gets a bruise.
Fourth, Kat largely dictates the terms of the relationship between the two main characters. At first, she wants nothing to do with Dublin. It's only when she's in jail for fighting illegally and out of other options that she begrudgingly accepts a partnership with him. And even then, she makes the rules. When he asks her to throw a fight, it's clear before he ever opens his mouth that she's not going to do it.
Finally, it is impressive that unlike Hilary Swank putting on muscle for Million Dollar Baby, Rebecca Neuenswander is the real deal. The Welsh actress is a Taekwondo world champion. She's not a bad actor (certainly the best one in a generally badly acted film), but she seems primarily an athlete.
Based on those criteria, I'd give this one four stars, even if it's just not a very good movie. Except...
The homophobia: Kat is a lesbian. This is made clear fairly early on. It's something she denies and is ashamed of, saying she just does weird stuff she she's drunk, or it's just a phase. If we saw her, as part of her growth in the film, come to accept her lesbianism, that would be great. Instead, the last scene shows her, made-up for the first time, in a dress, in what may be construed as a romantic relationship with Dublin. Fail.
The anti-Semitism: There is a running joke in the film that Dublin knows "Jewish Kung Fu," which is putting someone in a headlock and shaking them until the change comes out of their pockets. Ha ha. If Dublin's character was intended to read as Jewish himself, this could maybe be forgiven, but he doesn't. In fact, the entire cast is white-on-white. So fail again.
The final scene: After the end of the fight season, Kat and Dublin part ways, each to address his/her past. That's where it should have ended. Instead, a final scene showing them together, possibly romantically, is tacked on. This movie would have been so much better if that scene had just been left completely out.
Given those rather large drawbacks, I can't justify more than two stars for this one. It's too bad--it could have been much better with just a couple of small changes. Still, I'm hopeful about Neuenswander. I'll definitely be following her and hope to see her in something a little higher quality in the future.
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I don't think I even heard about this film, and it was released in 2008?
I think it was indie limited release and then quick to DVD.
I wrote about "Rigged" ("Fight Night") after seeing it last year.
http://www.athleticwomen.com/blog/archives/116-Rigged.html
Despite having rough spots, not atypical of low-budget films, "Rigged" gives us one of the strongest, most independent female characters seen on film in a while (played expertly by Rebecca Neuenswander). Also, "Rigged" displays some attention to story and character development, a nice touch in an action film. Although it's not a great film, "Rigged"'s merits outweigh its demerits, which have been overstated a bit here.
The Dublin character is meant to be, at least to begin with, something of a buffoonish heel, so I see his jokes about "Jewish Kung Fu," like those about prison rape, as part and parcel with that. If anything along those lines the movie should be docked for classism; i.e., its rather grotesque portrayal of rural folk sadly perpetuating the "white trash" stereotype poor whites are stuck with--something the liberal conscience ought to be more sensitive to than it often is.
As for Kat's sexual orientation, I actually thought this earned the movie points: a complicated, conflicted depiction shining light on the otherness and its attendant ramifications gay men and lesbians (not to mention bisexual persons--a possibility here?) experience in our society. Nor did I mind the ending. The ambiguity of it seemed to me fitting.
"Rigged" has its faults, as you rightly point out. Still, it's a movie I recommend highly to fans of female action cinema. One thing we are in complete agreement on, however: I hope to see much more of Neuenswander in the future.
http://www.athleticwomen.com/blog/archives/128-Rebecca-Neuenswander,-quietly-making-a-difference.html
Yay! Someone else has heard of this movie. I was beginning to think I'd dreamed it all up.
I see your points: re both the racism and homophobia I noted. I guess you just give the film more credit for self-awareness than I did. But we can agree that Rebecca Neuenswander absolutely rules.
This is why we have to start doing a better job keeping up with other blogs! Thanks for the link, Rob.
No problem. I was thrilled to see Grace's review, and happy to contribute my own thoughts. "Rigged" is at the least a movie worth talking about.