A squalid, self-important tale of a man entering a bare-knuckle fighting competition to save his family isn’t quite the bold statement on working-class America it seems to think it is
In a year that’s seen a number of humane, incisive films address the increase in poverty in America, such as Andrew Haigh’s Lean on Pete and Debra Granik’s Leave No Trace, the lumbering arrival of Donnybrook feels like even more of a misstep. It’s a pulpy slab of exploitation masquerading as an important treatise on the struggles faced by the working class in rural America, thumping us in the face with its shallow viewpoint until we beg for mercy. Or at least the credits.
Based on the book by Frank Bill, the barebones plot sees Jamie Bell square up as “Jarhead” Earl, a veteran and father of two who somehow decides that the only way to save his family,...
In a year that’s seen a number of humane, incisive films address the increase in poverty in America, such as Andrew Haigh’s Lean on Pete and Debra Granik’s Leave No Trace, the lumbering arrival of Donnybrook feels like even more of a misstep. It’s a pulpy slab of exploitation masquerading as an important treatise on the struggles faced by the working class in rural America, thumping us in the face with its shallow viewpoint until we beg for mercy. Or at least the credits.
Based on the book by Frank Bill, the barebones plot sees Jamie Bell square up as “Jarhead” Earl, a veteran and father of two who somehow decides that the only way to save his family,...
- 9/8/2018
- by Benjamin Lee
- The Guardian - Film News
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