The Challenger (2015)

Struggling Bronx mechanic Jaden Miller uses boxing to save himself and his mother from being homeless. With a legendary trainer, and a reality show built around him, Miller goes for the title.

Director:

Kent Moran

Writer:

Kent Moran

Stars:

Kent Moran, Michael Clarke Duncan, S. Epatha Merkerson

4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kent Moran	...	Jaden
Michael Clarke Duncan	...	Duane
S. Epatha Merkerson	...	Jada
Justin Hartley	...	James
Frank Watson	...	Terrence
Stan Carp	...	Joe
Rob Morgan	...	Frederick
Michael Rivera	...	Sanchez
Robert Pike Daniel	...	Vincent
Ernie Sabella	...	Frankie
Lindsay Hartley	...	Stephanie
Steven Hauck	...	TV Executive
Raushanah Simmons	...	Laurie
Kelvin Hale	...	Commentator #1
Jason Horowitz	...	Commentator #2

Storyline

Struggling Bronx mechanic Jaden Miller uses boxing to save himself and his mother from being homeless. With a legendary trainer, and a reality show built around him, Miller goes for the title.

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Plot Keywords:

boxer | high school dropout | evicted | star died before release | slow motion | 

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Taglines:

Fight for who you are.

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Genres:

Drama | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sports violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michael Clarke Duncan's last film following his death in 2012 aged 54.

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Quotes

Commentator #3: Hold onto your seats, folks. We got a fight on our hands.

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Connections

References Fight of the Century (1971)

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Soundtracks

Almost There
Written by Gianfranco Zuccarelli, Michele Zuccarelli & Joshua Ariza
Performed by J. Savvy

User Reviews

wow -- breaks every "fight film" rule

When Stallone did Rocky I, you would think from the hype at the time that he invented the boxing film.

No he did not. He re-invented it. Boxing films have been around forever and the first rule of a good boxing film is to connect with the audience by allowing them to "grow" with the protagonist, to improve from fight to fight.

And that was the first rule the producers broke.

Given the minimal amount of screen time alloted to the "early" fights for the protagonist/hero (in some cases just 2 seconds per fight) you may have thought that these were real cable fights where the producers did not have the rights to rebroadcast. But no this is a fiction film and they could have made those fights real. They did not.

Frankly, once you break that key rule, once you have no connection between star and viewer, there is no turning back.

But, almost out of perversity, the producers broke another rule and that amazes me. They cast two actors who look alike for both roles in the ring, hero and villain.

So, and I cannot emphasize the bizarreness of this enough, not only does the audience have no connection with the hero in the final fight, but sometimes you can't tell which actor is playing which role.

And the final rule? Good choreography in the fights. The audience should feel every punch. Here the audience only feels cheated.

A rarity. A boxing film that, like a bad boxer, starts out weak. And then just gets weaker.

Of course, the fact that the film is a "vanity" film -- the same guy is the writer director and star -- may be a factor. But what do I know -- I am just a reviewer.

Terrible film.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish Hindi

Release Date:

11 September 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Challenger

Filming Locations:

Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$12,246, 13 September 2015

Gross USA:

$19,003

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$19,003

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wishing Well Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1