Day of the Fight (2024)

3 1/2 Stars (out of 4)

Knockout

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Jack Huston's black-and-white drama Day of the Fight doesn't bring anything new to the boxing genre — it's a bit familiar and regimented — but it's deeply thoughtful and moving, and with a nicely gritty, chilly atmosphere.

Professional boxer "Irish" Mike Flannigan (Michael C. Pitt) wakes up and begins his morning training routine. Tonight he has a fight at Madison Square Garden. He goes about his day, first stopping by his estranged daughter Sasha's school so he can see her and wave at her from across the street. He then visits his uncle (Steve Buscemi) and retrieves his mother's wedding ring. He sells the ring and bets nearly $10,000 on himself to win the fight.

He goes to the gym and works a while with his trainer, Stevie (Ron Perlman). He goes to church to visit his old pal Patrick (John Magaro), who is now a priest. He finds his ex-wife Jessica (Nicolette Robinson) and begs her to have lunch with him, so that he can open up to her about his regrets. He visits his abusive father (Joe Pesci), now in a rest home. And he says a few words by the grave of a young boy. Then he heads to the arena. What Mike knows that no one else knows is that this will be his final fight.

A writing and directing debut by Boardwalk Empire actor, and John Huston's grandson, Jack Huston, Day of the Fight (possibly named after Stanley Kubrick's early short film?) has a classical structure, recalling Robert Wise's The Set-Up (1949), which also took place over the course of one day. Each segment in the movie has a little beginning and ending, and it can feel a little too talky and blocky (it's less innovative than his grandfather's great 1972 boxing movie Fat City). But each sequence is imbued with such beauty that it's easy to forgive.

It's set in 1989, before internet and cell phones, so it has a sense of quiet. The folksy song score is soft and contemplative, and includes a tune by Searching for Sugar Man's Rodriguez. It's chilly in this Brooklyn neighborhood, and people are barely scraping by, but everyone knows everyone, and there's a palpable sense of caring and community. There's a small scene in which Mikey stops by his usual cafe for breakfast and has a mostly meaningless, but lovely exchange with the woman who works there (she chokes up a little during their talk).

In another scene, Mikey gives his coat to a young girl whose mother is entertaining a gentleman caller inside (the child has been asked to wait outside). It also helps that the acting is uniformly superb, all low-key and subtle, and each moment packed with shared history and shorthand. Pitt in particular has never been so good, even though he sometimes comes across a bit Rocky-ish. Day of the Fight may have its shortcomings, but as a movie that feels its feelings, it's most satisfying and most welcome.