Knife Fight (2012)

A political strategist juggling three clients questions whether or not to take the high road as the ugly side of his work begins to haunt him.

Director:

Bill Guttentag

Writers:

Bill Guttentag, Chris Lehane

Stars:

Jamie Chung, Rob Lowe, Julie Bowen

Cast

Credited cast:
Jennifer Morrison	...	Angela Anderson
Jamie Chung	...	Kerstin Rhee
Rob Lowe	...	Paul Turner
Julie Bowen	...	Peaches O'Dell
Carrie-Anne Moss	...	Penelope Nelson
Brooke Newton	...	Tawny
Amanda Crew	...	Helena St. John
Saffron Burrows	...	Sophia
Eric McCormack	...	Larry Becker
Richard Schiff	...	Dimitris Vargas
Frances Shaw	...	Samantha (as Frankie Shaw)
Michelle Krusiec	...	Shannon Haung
David Harbour	...	Stephen Green
Shirley Manson	...	Nicole
Kurt Yaeger	...	Oliver Kennedy

Storyline

If a political candidate is personally flawed, but stands to make a positive difference in millions of lives, would you help him win? That question looms over the life of "true believer" Paul Turner (Rob Lowe), a savvy strategist sharply maneuvering politicians out of scandal and into public office. With the help of a bright young assistant (Jamie Chung) and a seedy operative (Richard Schiff), Turner spins every news cycle and a shrewd reporter (Julie Bowen) on behalf of his clients: a philandering Kentucky governor (Eric McCormick), a blackmailed California senator (David Harbour), and an idealistic doctor turned gubernatorial candidate (Carrie-Anne Moss). When the ugly side of Turner's work begins to haunt him, he learns that even in the bloodiest of battles, sometimes you have to fight clean.

---

Taglines:

Ready. Aim. Win.

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexual content/nudity

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 January 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Borba noževima

Filming Locations:

Bay Area, San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Divisadero Pictures, Knife Fight

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

There were several changes in the cast before filming. Connie Britton was in talks for the role of Penelope; but ultimately Carrie-Anne Moss was cast. Titus Welliver was approached for the role of Dimitris, as well as Rebecca Mader for the role of Tawny.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Julie Bowen/Rocket City Rednecks/Milo Greene (2012)

User Reviews

Very Amusing Political Satire • 7.1/10

I only watched this because of the cast (Saffron Burrows, Jamie Chung, Jennifer Morrison, Julie Bowen, yes, I am indeed male, lol) but I was thoroughly entertained with the humour in this (mild mannered) Political Satire. Now I'm from the UK and I got all the in jokes so why are the critics kicking this decent movies teeth in?

Anyhoo, the acting in this was great and watching the political sidestepping and back biting was funny because although there was nothing truly original it was done brilliantly. Rob Lowe plays Paul, a political fixer and we follow him as he deals with some of his client's troubles which I found both interesting and very funny most of the time. Jamie Chung played the assistant really well and was probably better in this than anything I've seen her in like the truly awful 'Man With The Iron Fists'. One of her tasks is keeping an eye on the media for news and also when they do those political broadcasts that tell how sleazy the other guy is. Those things are amazing and in bad taste if you ask me but I'm a Brit so I don't see those things over here (yet) and what I know about US politics you could write on an Ants testicles.

This has a great cast and I actually knew most of them which is unusual for a low budget movie and everyone, without exception was great. I really liked the script and checking on IMDb I see it's written/directed by Bill Guttentag who I don't know and have never seen his work but I thought this was particularly well done. The cinematography was always interesting as were the characters so I was entertained from the very start. I honestly don't understand why this film isn't liked more but hey, to each their own.

Highly Recommended

Score: 7.1/10

N∆V ∞ [e-mail]