Male family drama...

Rating: 9/10 (22 May 2020)

Male family drama: alcoholic father tries to redeem himself; two sons-brothers indifferent to the fate of a father who is always absent from home, if not to train them in one (non) violent sport between kickboxing and free fight. Among other things, the competition between the two brothers leads them to hate each other, hatred fueled by the father who has preferences for one over the other. This is the guideline on which the director Gavin O'Connor makes an excellent film, supported by effective acting, with a splendid Tom Hardy (the younger brother) and an old wolf like Nick Nolte (the father). Parent-child drama is a must always present in both American literature and filmography, but the originality in this film is to have included the (non) sporting competition as a metaphor for complex interpersonal relationships. To see and review!