User reviews

Greetings again from the darkness. Is it a coincidence that I'm reviewing this moving on Charles Darwin's birthday? "Survival of the fittest" could be the subtitle to writer-director Tim Sutton's bleak film adapted from the novel by Frank Bill. The film would have us believe that, once born into poverty and a hopeless existence, the only daily decisions to be made are: Do I try to survive another day? Should I kill myself? Should I kill someone else?

Is that bleak enough for you? Sutton's film provides glimpses of each of the three questions, but mostly it's an expose' on the violence that is generated from a community of poverty, addiction, abuse, and crime. It isn't clear and doesn't matter which of those things comes first ... they all lead down the same path. Jamie Bell plays "Jarhead" Earl, a military veteran looking for an escape route for his young kids and his junkie wife (Dara Tiller). Having a knack for fighting, and an apparent ability to take a beating, Earl decides the only way out is by winning the $100,000 grand prize for the Donnybrook ... a no-rules bareknuckle cage fight. Of course his only route to the entry fee is via armed robbery. Have I mentioned this is bleak?

Earl doesn't talk much, but he tries to protect his wife from the local meth dealer, a brutal savage named Angus (Frank Grillo, THE GREY) who has an awkward partnership with his younger sister Delia (Margaret Qualley, NOTIVTIATE) as they make the rounds taking care of business. Angus is the type that resorts to violence in every situation, and we witness his lack of value on human life is just about every scene he is in. Delia is a bit more complicated, as she longs for a way out, and accepts even a momentary reprieve. To top it off, we have a Detective Whalen (James Badge Dale, "The Pacific") who is "chasing" this brother-sister outlaw duo ... well at least he chases them between drug and booze fueled sidetracks.

The story takes place in the rural Midwest with towns and people those on both coasts never give much thought. When Earl finally reaches the Donnybrook, we are treated to what appears to be a redneck Burning Man festival where the revelers only stop hooting and beer guzzling long enough to sing the National Anthem while the American flag waves. We are left not knowing if this is a commentary on poverty, male aggression, or the forgotten class. It has some tonal similarities to the excellent OUT OF THE FURNACE, but isn't close to that level. None of filmmaker Sutton's first 3 movies have found much of an audience outside of festivals, and it's a safe bet this one won't either.

A tale of strife in a rural part of America, where an ex-marine does what he can only do to survive and care for his family, it parallels with the life of a crazed family of Meth dealers looking for a way out as well, with contentious and evil methods, it leads to a big free for all at Donnybrook, a last man standing contest, where the ex-marine see a opportunity to use his skills to get his family out of squalor and find some redemption in his soul, but it all comes with a price for everyone involved, this one folks is not easy to watch, but you take it in and realize that there is a message somewhere within this film.

I was surprised at the review score after watching the trailer but I realize why now. It's really a pointless violent movie with almost no dialogue and even less story. Solid cast which makes you wonder what they were thinking when they signed up. It's like a Gone Baby Gone or Out of the Furnace type movie with no actual plot.

Frank Grillo can be quite scary - or at least play scary and evil as good as anyone else can. Jamie Bell is really good in this too (and he needs to be with Grillos character overtaking and really being a menace and presence here), though for me I always remember Billy Elliott when I see him. Not his fault and as said, he is quite good in this, it is just the perception one sometimes has.

The movie is moody and dark. Some very bad things are happening to some good or at least rather innocent beings ... And all leads to the final fight! Quite literally also ... a Drama that does not hold back a punch and might challenge some viewers.

This film tells the story of two men who struggle to make ends meet. They turn to a big fight to earn a big prize.

The story is quite confusing to start with, as characters are not introduced. After figuring out who is who, it seems I can get into the story. But no. The pace is super slow, and the long slowly moving shots are just never ending. There is a shot where a young girl walk back and forth in a park for a minute. There is another shot of the boy walking up to a house to take a bicycle for a minute. These scenes are very out of place for a violent action film. In the end, I lost all interest in the film.

First the bright spots ... the cinematography was excellent, innovative where appropriate and well done in the main. One performance deserves mention. Margaret Qualley was excellent. Her portrayal of Delia fully developed this complex character. She is an actor to watch. Now the dark spots ... the plot was disjointed and very hard to follow. The cast featured too many thin white dudes of similar appearance and the director did an abysmal job of sorting them out, much less their roles and relationships. This could have been a good movie with proper direction. As is, it is not worth watching. I gave it a 2 for the camera work and Margaret's performance.

Dark, sad and disturbing. Good acting. Frank grillo is a scary ass dude.

I was pulled because it was showing some semi-authentic behavior of those caught up in this crazy world of meth and other drugs, but primarily meth. For the type of movie it is, it rolled on about the way one would expect, not too many scenes out of whack but as it progresses towards the end there are twists that simply could happen in real life but being the person who is for the underdog, it seems to pee on way too many people's dreams. Sometimes when you get what you wanted, you'll find that the cost simply wasn't worth the demands that the world of drugs and evil people can charge to exist.

It was indeed quiet in the Winter Garden Theatre when the credits rolled at TIFF. This is not a movie you cheer for. It's gorgeous and brutal and humble. You exhale when it's done, and you're thankful for your different less desperate way of life.

The acting is superb, especially the brave Margaret Qualley. This deserves to be seen

Great movie I played an clothed officer investigating a death on a farm behind a house! Straight thriller

101 minutes of my life I will never get back... and the sad part is I was an extra...good plot... but not told in a believeable way... script needed a total rewrite.. you can see how rushed the movie ( if this can be called that) is... I'm sorry Tim... your a great and talented guy.. and everyone was super nice... please try again..

One less star for IFC Films forcing us to sit & watch their previews in order to actually watch what we paid for. Still another cage fighting movie. Along w/last man standing it was so boring I was first viewer out. Why is the south so picked on for this genre? Is it religion, education, poverty, moonshine? Predictable ending.

This film was extremely graphic. It had a little bit of everything wrong with The United States. It had incest, child murder, nazi's, drugs, poverty, violence, robbery and crooked cops. They way it was put together was beautiful and brutal at the same time. I'm glad I finally decided to give this film a shot. Hats off to the writer/director. Definitely a film worth checking out. I highly recommend giving it a watch. 6 stars.

There isn't one thing in this movie that made any sense. Talk about disjointed, this is it. Want to watch a movie about low life speed freaks and total losers? Maybe this will be it for you, if you have a really low IQ. Frank Grillo as a buffed meth maker and dealer. Yeah right, like that made a lot of sense right there. Psycho Frank and his twisted sister. I would rather have seen them both in Leave it to Beaver, which would have made about as much sense as their roles in this movie. This there is total loser fighter dude who is just a dumb punk with nowhere to go. I felt like I needed to be in a run down trailer in a run down trailer park with a tornado on the way to appreciate this flick. Maybe I'll try to go find one and try to watch this movie again. Naw I was just kidding. No second go around for me. Once was too much.

This movie is grim, dark, and depressing. That's OK, there is definitely a place for this sort of film. I was unfamiliar with the entire cast, but the acting was quite good, especially Margaret Qualley. Good photography and direction as well. Much of the violence, in the methhead tweaker community seemed quite pointless, which I suppose was the point. Hard to say whether I could recommend this film to anyone.

I saw this movie last night at the TIFF. Nobody clapped at the end not believing what we just saw... Grim, dark and hard to comprehend story. Decent acting

The acting by the entire cast, cinematography, pacing, music choices, etc are absolutely fantastic and far exceeded expectations. I was expecting the violence and drugs to feel more like a grimy gimmick but it wasn't at all. Jamie Bell transforms into Jarhead Earl and Margaret Qualley is a real find mixing delicacy and brutality as Delia. My main issue is that at the end of the movie I don't know what to take away from it. The premise is bizarre and the circumstances so heightened that I couldn't relate. Is this what the rural Midwest landscape is supposed to really look like? What is this a commentary on? While certain images and characters were alternately sympathetic, haunting, chilling, the sum didn't really move me in the end.

Someone clearly forgot that movies are supposed to be entertaining. Pretentious crap from a creative team completely out of touch with reality. Sure, there are pathetic meth head people with no futures in this world, but they seldom look like sculpted beautiful actors. The plot, dialog, acting, etc is so bleak, this movie is as deep as watching the TV while it's unplugged. I suppose you can insert your own narrative and try to say it's confounding, excellent art, like a choose your own adventure book, but ultimately this is a movie with zero relatable or realistic characters. It plods along for what seems like an eternity, never reaching any satisfaction. It'll make you pause the film and check the IMDB rating, review the Wikipedia synopsis, and question whether you'll even want to finish the film. Perhaps there is gold at the end of this rainbow, but the sweet release of silence after turning off this tripe is it's own reward.

Pure crap. I'd give it ZERO stars for being unwatchable, if IMDB allowed for that.

Donnybrook it is a very dark drama, and well worth seeing. Ex-Marine Bell has a wife who is trying to get off drugs and 2 kids (a boy & a girl). His plan to improve their lot in life is to enter the Donnybrook, a bare-knuckles free-for-all fight contest where the last man standing will walk away with a $100k prize. The acting is superb, particularly Margaret Qualley (daughter of Andie MacDowell), who plays the sister of Frank Grillo's violent drug dealer. The characters in this film are very poor and struggle with violence, drugs, crime, all the things that are often common in the poorer communities across America. The bulk of this film is Bell's journey from his home in a trailer park to the site of the contest, and it's not an easy or straightforward path that he travels. He gets to the donnybrook, but it's the last 15 minutes of the film.

Alright people you think movie is a fighting underground cage film well it is but that's not what it's heading to direction, this has pointless stupid sloppy story plot of movie. i understand this is not an action movie it's a drama thriller boring aspect type and characters were nothing characters were just dumb and stupid they bring nothing in this movie, Frank Grillo character is stupid because writers made him look like idiot hitting his sister, spitting on her face being violent that's what you get from frank grillo his character is just pointless nothing good about him in this movie now i am huge frank grillo fan but this movie NO this is a garbage. Jamie bell eh meh nothing to say about him he

was pretty boring as lead character i can see someone else playing his role easy. entire story is this Two men prepare to compete in a legendary bare-knuckle fight Jarhead Earl (Jaime Bell) who is a family man who has 2 kids and wife is on drugs he is trying to tell stop doing it and Chainsaw Angus (Frank Grillo) is a violent drug dealer if one of them win they get a $100,000 prize. so that's why they both fighting each another about it and chainsaw sister, Delia Angus (Margaret Qualley) known once upon time Hollywood. you do feel sorry for her because chainsaw is drug attract and he is abusing her and it's like you wanna hate Frank grillo sadly and he is hitting her, spitting her, giving her crap a lot moment she wants to commit suicide then she shots him just once but he

has to stay alive because villain can't die at middle of film she is on run she goes with jarhead they go together at donnybrook location at. chainsaw is just going around being crazy guy looking for his sister but when you get to the final act it's freaking stupid how they made frank grillo like idiot entire story plot and characters direction is freaking pointless jeez, and fight scenes were nothing special and too much shaky camera jarhead gets to the donnybrook, but it's the last 15 minutes of the film and that's it film is not full on fighting cage film it doesn't know what is going to be a crime drug film or fighting film

witch one it doesn't know because it doesn't know where it wants to go, and it's lame when jarhead gets 15 minutes of donnybrook rather then showing it entire film put more fight scenes love to see that but no that's running time of donnybrook your going to get witch you can't see much, and second of fight scenes don't go for longtime ? so i don't really know how you call that entering ? when you have fight scene goes for 30 seconds or more that's it. frank grillo character is just wasted and doing nothing his character is just pointless this all movie is just pointless. Acting was good it's not that bad acting i seen much worse, camera was great i loved cinematography looked great but with grey dark cloudy was indeed quiet in the Winter Garden witch i like but rest of film and story and characters direction is just pointless, towards this movie is just nothing just Jaime Bell wants to product girl and get moving to direction to donnybrook that's what fight club is called, and frank grillo play's a such pointless bad guy chasing after his sister who wasn't prepared for fight mainly his character wants his sister back but you will get to final act with her is just stupid witch don't want to spoil it but it's dumb film and such pointless story and characters. was it gorgeous and brutal and humble ? yeah but in very lame way of it i seen much more brutal and humble movies a lot of it then to this crap. film are very poor and struggle with violence, drugs, crime, not a full on bloodsport type of movie that you gonna see or blood and bone or any type of

fighting underground you name me. showing some semi-authentic behavior of those caught up in this crazy world of meth and other drugs, but primarily meth. For the type of movie and not focusing on fighting brawl cage film not breaking bad. 101 minutes of movie you will never get back i don't understand and never will understand why this got 5.4 people reading critics sometimes it fools you around please if your fan of underground fighting brawl brutal type well your not going to see it until 15 minutes and that's towards end of film sadly, frank grillo performance no he sucks in this movie he hits his sister witch makes him to hate him but i don't hate him at all he is character i can't even look at it. critics are so wrong about this film don't ever waste time reading their review they are completely wrong ten out times ten wrong they just

saying oh it's great drama, great story oh it has great performance i am like okay i seen that in millions of another movies this is most forgettable film of all time you may sleep towards middle and say what the f did i miss. i knew what i was getting myself into if you want to watch a better Frank Grillo film of this year watch point blank and it's on Netflix because it's a Netflix film. if you want drama, great performance, Very refreshing story , unforgettable, great characters film come out 2 years ago called Wheelman frank grillo film on Netflix as well go and watch that rather then seeing this boring pointless crap film that you will ever see of all time.