Film review: The Power of the Dog
A searing western from the director of The Piano
Halle Berry broke two ribs while shooting this clichéd but “gutsy” film about a mixed-martial arts fighter, said Tim Robey in The Daily Telegraph. She stars as Jackie Justice, a former MMA champ who has turned to booze since a disastrous fight knocked her out of her profession, and who now scrubs loos for a living. Two events lure Justice back to the ring: her son Manny (Danny Boyd Jr.), whom she abandoned years ago, is dumped on her doorstep, and a fast-talking promoter (Shamier Anderson) decides to cash in on her hibernating talents. Bruised, which is also Berry’s directorial debut, is a classic redemption story – “with a mother-and-child rapprochement added for good measure” – and while it’s a “marks-for-effort sort of film”, it has bags of “gritty emotional clout”.
The only problem is, the film is “entirely unsurprising”, said Wendy Ide in The Observer. It takes on all the worn-out tropes of the fight movie so earnestly it’s as if Berry “simply isn’t aware” of the clichés splattered across the plot – but there’s a “saving grace” in the form of the British stage actress Sheila Atim, who is “arresting” as Justice’s trainer. Bruised won’t win awards for originality, said Adam Sweeting on The Arts Desk: “think of it as Rocky IX – #MeToo”; but Berry’s performance has visceral force. She has thrown herself into this role with “self-flagellating relish”, setting herself far apart from her “botoxed, plastic-surgeried and multi-implanted peers”. And in the “staggeringly brutal” final slugfest, you feel “every punch, kick and chokehold with numbing force”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
US, Saudis near security deal, with or without Israel
Speed Read The historic pact would offer the Saudis security guarantees and could reshape the Middle East
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - May 2, 2024
Cartoons Thursday's cartoons - the price of eggs, extremes, and more
By The Week US Published
-
United Methodists overturn ban on LGBTQ+ clergy
Speed Read The church also voted to reverse the ban on same-sex weddings
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Daniel Wallace's 5 favorite books that should not be forgotten
Feature The author recommends works by Italo Calvino, Evan S. Connell, and more
By The Week US Published
-
6 picturesque homes in Arizona
Feature Featuring a glass elevator in Sedona and a grotto waterfall in Paradise Valley
By The Week Staff Published
-
Silversea cruise review: a Central and North American adventure
The Week Recommends An incredible journey featuring cultural exploration, cooking classes, comfort and more
By Yasemen Kaner-White Published
-
Baffin Island: looking for narwhal in Arctic Canada
The Week Recommends An exploration of this island between mainland Canada and Greenland is ideal for the adventurous at heart
By The Week UK Published
-
Knife: Salman Rushdie's 'mesmeric memoir' of brutal attack
The Week Recommends The author's account of ordeal which cost him his eye is both 'scary and heartwarming'
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sarah Langan recommends 6 women-centric horror books
Feature The horror novelist recommends works by Stephen King, Gillian Flynn, and more
By The Week US Published
-
6 spacious homes for car lovers
Feature Featuring a 14-car showroom in Oregon and a Bentley-style apartment in Florida
By The Week Staff Published
-
6 serene homes in Vermont
Features Featuring a four-level Shaker barn in Hartland and a Scandinavian-inspired home in Stowe
By The Week US Published