Warrior (2011), Never Back Down (2008), the Undisputed franchise…the list of popular films about Mixed Martial Arts fighters lengthens each year and now Tyler Adkins (no relation to the beloved star of the action genre Scott Adkins) delivers the Aussie entry into the cage, Beast.
MMA legend Patton James (Daniel MacPherson, Land of Bad) has hung up his gloves and with a family to think about, has more or less cut all ties with those from his previous life. Not much could pull the now commercial fisherman back into the cage unless of course it is to avenge his brother Malon (Mojean Aria, The Enforcer) in a rematch with his arch nemesis and ONE Championship – a multinational combat sports promotion similar to the Ultimate Fighting Championship – title winner Xavier Grau played brilliantly by Bren Foster (The Last Ship).
Throw in a grumpy ex-trainer Sammy (Russell Crowe), a spunky new trainer Rose (Amy Shark) who has learnt everything from Sammy, her dad, a dubious but in the end supportive wife (Kelly Gale, Detective Hole) and a vile, money-driven, unscrupulous agent (Luke Hemsworth, The Terminal List) and you have the recipe for a rollercoaster of a story you may not have been expecting to feel so emotional about.
Whilst it could be said that the narrative doesn’t offer a ton of new material, it can equally be argued that much like Rocky (1976), The Karate Kid (1984) and an entire catalogue of ‘the underdog wins’ movies, Beast has exactly what a large majority of sport and action fans are looking for – a comeback king story and some absolutely epic fight scenes. There are some gut-wrenching, heart aching, breath-taking moments during these sequences of which the kinetic cinematography and awesome score and sound-mix elevate further.
But what also makes those fight scenes stand out and look so authentically brutal is the man behind the choreography, co-star Bren Foster. Foster showed what a talent he was in Life After Fighting (2024) again keeping it in the family with his son Jaylan expertly doubling for Malon in some utterly savage fight sequences. Regarding that savagery, the minimal consequences for certain actions may be troublesome if this was a documentary but as a plot device it drives the story and as with many films, simply check any ‘well that wouldn’t have happened in real life’ criteria at the door. Poetic licence allows for realistic characters to do unrealistic things and that includes getting off lightly for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Overall whilst Beast isn’t ground-breaking or filled with convoluted twists and turns, it doesn’t need to be. This is a sports action movie focusing on MMA and ONE Championship. If that isn’t of interest then this may not be for you. But if Remember the Titans (2000), Million Dollar Baby (2004) or Cinderella Man (2005) are the kind of ‘underdog wins’ narratives that make you fist bump the sky, then Beast will be for you.
Beast will be available on Digital Download from 1st June