NEW Fight Night (DVD)

This is an entertaining film. It is rather bizarre, in that we have a female boxer who fights men, much heavier men for that matter, in the underground boxing world. In some ways, the film is reminiscent of the Charles Bronson classic "Hard Times", in which he played a great street fighter during the depression era. The difference, of course, is that fight night is about a woman boxer during the present time. Yet, both have superhuman qualities as fighters, and the films never give us an explanation or history as to how these characters came to be the way they are.

Newcomer Rebecca Neuenswander, does a great job playing the female boxer with an edge. In real life, Neuenswander is a fascinating woman who has been a world champion is martial arts and is an active humanitarian helping to educate children in the third world. Her charisma and performance make this film a cut above your average independent action film, in that she is obviously playing a very machismo type of woman, yet she doesn't alienate the audience because somehow she manages to keep her feminine qualities. However, it also helps that Neuenswander is a beautiful woman, and it requires a bit of a leap for the audience to accept that she is able to maintain her core beauty in spite of the incredible beating she takes as a fighter.

Chad Ortis is adequate as the other lead in the film, but he is totally over shadowed by Rebecca Neuenswander. This is her movie, and she is ultimately the reason this film is worth watching. There seems to be some innate and compelling acting charisma and talent in Neuenswander, and one can only hope we see her again in the movies.