7.1/10
295,577
488 user 338 critic

Real Steel (2011)

Trailer
2:27 | Trailer
In the near future, robot boxing is a top sport. A struggling ex-boxer feels he's found a champion in a discarded robot.

Director:

Shawn Levy

Writers:

John Gatins (screenplay), Dan Gilroy (story) | 2 more credits »
Reviews
Popularity
999 ( 363)
Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 5 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hugh Jackman ... Charlie Kenton
Dakota Goyo ... Max Kenton
Evangeline Lilly ... Bailey Tallet
Anthony Mackie ... Finn
Kevin Durand ... Ricky
Hope Davis ... Aunt Debra
James Rebhorn ... Marvin
Karl Yune ... Tak Mashido
Olga Fonda ... Farra Lemkova
John Gatins ... Kingpin
Sophie Levy Sophie Levy ... Big Sister
Tess Levy Tess Levy ... Little Sister
Charlie Levy Charlie Levy ... Littlest Sister
Gregory Sims ... Bill Panner
Torey Adkins ... Large Texan Man
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Storyline

In the near future when people become uninterested in boxing and similar sports, a new sport is created - Robot boxing wherein robots battle each other while being controlled by someone. Charlie Kenton, a former boxer who's trying to make it in the new sport, not only doesn't do well, he is very deeply in the red. When he learns that his ex, mother of his son Max, dies, he goes to figure out what to do with him. His ex's sister wants to take him in but Charlie has first say in the matter. Charlie asks her husband for money so he can buy a new Robot in exchange for turning Max over to them. He takes Max for the summer. And Max improves his control of his robot. But when the robot is destroyed, they go to a scrap yard to get parts. Max finds an old generation robot named Atom and restores him. Max wants Atom to fight but Charlie tells him he won't last a round. However, Atom wins. And it isn't long before Atom is getting major bouts. Max gets Charlie to teach Atom how to fight, and the ... Written by rcs0411@yahoo.com

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Champions aren't born. They're made. See more »

Genres:

Action | Drama | Sci-Fi | Sport

Certificate:

M | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Garrett Warren: the film's stunt coordinator plays Midas' operator. See more »

Goofs

When Charlie's robots are in his truck and not about to fight they are turned off. Presumably this is done so that the robots don't cause any damage while being transported. But in one scene Atom is shown to be powered up (as shown by his eyes being lit up) while Charlie is driving. See more »

Quotes

Max Kenton: Charlie, I think there's a whole robot in there!
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Connections

Referenced in Shut Up and Talk: Brad Jones (2014) See more »

Soundtracks

Here's a Little Something for Ya
Written by Mike D (as Michael Louis Diamond), Adam Horovitz and Adam Yauch (as Adam Nathaniel Yauch)
Performed by Beastie Boys
Courtesy of Capitol Records
Under license from EMI Film & Television Music
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User Reviews

 
The Heart Of Steel
13 October 2011 | by TourettesPersonalSee all my reviews

Based on what everybody said, Real Steal is like Over The Top plus Rocky with Robots. Over The Top because there's a man, his son, and a truck. Rocky because it's obvious. Put these films together and add robots and minus Stallone. Real Steel is not very innovating though but it's excitingly great and has plenty of heart. It's also the return of Hugh Jackman although we just saw him a little last June. There are lot of things to recommend in Real Steel.

The premise isn't really that intriguing. It's boxing replaced by robots. Films with Giant CGI Robots are not innovating since we have Michael Bay's Transformers. But the heart and soul lies to the relationship of Charlie and Max and their robot, Atom. It's fun to watch them. The fighting scenes are pretty exciting. That is what most underdog fighting movies do. The only problem here is the weak major antagonist. It's not really that threatening or a big deal. Ricky was more threatening than the gigantic Zeus.

The filmmaking is pretty decent. Well shot scenes. The CGI robots and the music score are good enough. Nothing to say about the production design except Charlie's truck. It looks fascinating for some reason. The performances were great. We don't see Hugh Jackman in action movies after two years and there's a small cameo of him, flipping off two characters(it's obvious but I won't tell you the title). Here in Real Steel, Jackman is energetic and somewhat perfect for the role. Dakota Goyo is a bit charming. Chemistry of him and Jackman shines through the film. It's fun to watch them together.

There aren't much new here in Real Steel but in the end, it's enjoyable and has plenty of heart. The climax isn't so much overwhelming but it intends to be more heartfelt. Again, it's like Over The Top which the father is trying to make his son proud and Rocky because it's boxing and add some robots in it. Even without thinking much about the robots, there is always human heart in this film. Hugh Jackman does it again. The underdog fighting movie genre does it again. It's really a fun film for the whole family.


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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Country:

USA | India

Language:

English | Ukrainian

Release Date:

7 October 2011 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Gigantes de acero See more »

Filming Locations:

Yankee Air Museum See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$110,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$27,319,677, 9 October 2011

Gross USA:

$85,468,508

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$299,268,508
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | Datasat

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See full technical specs »

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