Bruised

I am a fan of the mixed martial arts. I was excited with the movie because Valentina Shevchenko would be in it. The protagonist is so unlikeable that you cannot sympathize with her. I did not like what I just watched and I do not understand why this movie has a 6 star overall rating. It is slow, boring and meaningless. The 3 stars are jut for Valentina.

The 129 min runtime was way too long for this story. Berry was excellent in her directorial debut and on the other side of the camera. I didn't mind the personal drama with her and the adorable Danny Boyd Jr., but the rest of the personal melodramatics were over the top and just unnecessary filler. Adding the LGBT wokeness affair with her trainer was just cringe and politics. The feminism was enough, we didn't need anything else. Casting and performances were spot on, as was the fight choreography. The score/soundtrack was too much, too loud, and too constant. Shevchenko was on point and it was good to see Nunes as well. If you're an MMA fan, you will certainly enjoy it more than the critics did. It's a well deserved 7/10 from me.

I've always liked Halle Barry and Damn, Girl still looks GREAT, she's Not all Botoxed to death and Duck Lipped like most female stars in her age range. This wasn't as good as Million Dollar Baby, by Eastwood. But for her 1st time, (both acting in and directing) And considering the overwhelming physical subject of MMA Fighting for a woman over 50, I think She is VERY BRAVE!! And that little boy was Amazing just using his emotions to convey SO MUCH! And how Heartbreaking was that song? Just the 2 of US???? Sheila Atim is amazing, I swear, I could feel the ZEN vibes in her chanting. :D I hope Halle sticks to it, as women directors still have a hard road, even in 2021. I think she's like a fine wine, she keeps getting better with age. And hopefully we will see future directorial works from her that will do the same. ;D.

The real fight is among the pros. The Hollywood pros. While indies come and go, Oscar-Winner and A-Lister Berry made the unforgivable error of not only directing, but also casting herself, and even choosing a non-traditional topic. For a woman, that is. Which is why most of the trade reviews talk more about her choices than the film itself. Which is a shame because the film is competent, professional, holds the attention, and has first-rate acting. Last time I looked, that is what films were supposed to be about? ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

Where do i start, okay sick of the black anger and vulgarity i mean f this n and mf that has its limits and this ran it dry in 30 min, at times Berry actually looked stupid in the fight scenes and did they miss one cliche this took everything over the top Stalone is probably seeking litigation over the copy right theft. The old black trainer and the female trainer were good but can't save this disaster.

Just finished watching this. If you follow MMA you spot a few familiar faces in this. The only reason I watched it is because Valentina Shevchenko is in it... I mean literally the only reason! She is a legend of MMA and if you are not familiar with her, go check her out. One of my issues is that there are some terrible actors in it. I mean for eg if you are an MMA fan like me, when you listen to the man and woman commentating the final fight.. it's horrendous to endure. They sound like radio personalities reading from a script.. just so unrealistic. But even if you are not familiar with MMA the acting is still very 'hokey' along with other side characters/actors. Without spoilers there are some odd parts to the story that don't really get explained. Things are kind of hinted at, eg someone she meets in the movie.. at a key point just ups and leaves and reappears at the end... it just seems very very sloppy how it was handled. The movie has it's moments but nothing I feel that warrants it getting a higher rating than a 5 max. Maybe others will enjoy it but for me it was generally underwhelming.