Genre: Drama/Sports
Director: Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi
Writers: Jimmy Ellis & Chad Taylor
Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Ben Foster, Rose Byrne, Ken Watanabe, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ron Cephas Jones, Jeremy Strong, Kenta Kobayashi, Buddy Duress
Plot: The film starts with a close up on a championship title. The shot comes back to reveal that the championship is on a casket. A man, Joey Lambert (Ben Foster) is giving a speech he refers to the dead man as his father and the man he looked up to the most. He explains that all he ever wanted was to be just like him. He wipes a tear from his cheek with his sleeve as we see that he is missing his right hand. He says that his father will be missed by many and that he is sorry he didn’t notice anything earlier. He kisses his hand and places it on the casket. He is hugged by his wife, Sarah (Rose Byrne) and wipes some more tears from his eyes.
As the couple walk away from the funeral, a man (Shia LaBeouf) is in the distance that catches Joey’s eye. He tells his wife to stay where she stand and heads over to the man dressed in torn up clothes. Joey calls out to him as Nate Forrester. Nate turns around and sees Joey walking toward him, he begins to act a little nervous but decides to wait for Joey and talk. As Joey reaches him they hug, Joey asks what it is Nate is doing here. Nate says that he wouldn’t miss the old man’s funeral for the world. Joey thanks him for this and says that they need to catch up, he offers to take him out to the bar for a few drinks. Nate is hesitant to answer until Joey says that it will be his shout. Nate agrees, the two of them walk over to Sarah and Joey introduces the two. Sarah asks how the two of them know each other and Joey says that he was his mentor in the “Big Brothers” program years back. He also adds that he wants to take him out for a few drinks so they will order a taxi, he says that he will meet Sarah back at home.
When the two sit at the bar, Joey offers to buy Nate a beer but Nate prefers a water and says that he is actually a few years sober. Joey apologizes and says they could’ve went somewhere else but Nate tells him it’s fine. They start to catch up and Joey starts off. He says that he met his beautiful wife when on holidays in Australia and he convinced her to move to America. Nate asks about kids and Joey shakes his head, he laments that they haven’t been successful in their attempts to have a kid yet and that he hopes one day he and Sarah can adopt. Joey then asks Nate what he has been up to. Nate opens up to him as he views Joey as a big brother due to their years in the program. He says that he has in fact been in and out of homes and that for the past three years he has been homeless. This is hard for Nate to say as shame flushes over his face. Joey looks at him with sorrow and apologises as he didn’t know, he says that Nate should have come to him for help, he knows that he would do anything for him. Nate stares at Joey and says that he has to go. Joey apologises if he has offended him but Nate hurries off. He accidentally bumps into another patron, who seems offended. Nate asks him if he has a problem and the man backs off but that isn’t he enough. Nate swings at the man and misses initially, prompting the man to fight back. Nate kicks into gear and begins to hit the bigger man while dodging his strikes. He takes the man down and places him in a sleeper hold, the man passes out and all Joey can do is look on in amazement. He tries to catch Nate before he leaves but is unable.
At home with his wife Joey confides in her what happened today and she worries that the man sounds a little unhinged and advises him to stay away from this old acquaintance. Joey says he will be fine and says that Nate actually looked pretty good out there. Joey starts to go through old photo albums and home videos of his times with Nate, including multiple ones including Joey’s dad. He tells Sarah that they actually used to train together a lot, before the accident. He says that he saw something in Nate today that he hasn’t seen for years. He saw a fire in his eyes, a desperation if you will. He tells Sarah that he needs to find him again to see if what he sees is true.
Nate is at the homeless shelter receiving a bowl of soup. He sits with his older friend Donald (Ron Cephas Jones). Donald asks Nate if there is something bothering him, as by the look on his face he is overthinking something. Nate explains to him that he ran into an old friend and that he was offering support but that he could not take it. Donald asks why and Nate says that Joey has already given him so much. He explains the big brother program to him. Donald puts it plainly and says that Joey obviously cares and wants Nate to be better off, he says that if he runs into Joey again, take him up on the offer. Nate nods and thanks him. Finishing his soup, we follow Nate heading off to his spot on a corner of a road. He opens a sleeping bag to reveal some stashed drugs, he takes out the syringe, lighter and spoon and heads to an alley nearby. He injects the drugs into his system and leaves the syringe on the ground.
The next morning, Joey walks the streets searching for Nate, he asks multiple homeless people if they know where he may be. A lot of them shake their heads, he gives them a few coins each for their help. When he is starting to lose hope he is approached by Donald who had been told by other homeless people Joey had been searching for Nate. Donald asks if Joey is the big brother and he says yes. Donald tells Joey to follow him to Nate.
Joey follows Donald on the streets up until the alleyway seen earlier. Joey walks through quite nervous as dogs bark. As he continues walking he steps on a syringe, it startles him a little but he continues to follow Donald. Donald and Joey reach the corner where Nate is. Nate is asleep so Donald kicks him and gets him to wake up. Nate wakes and his eyes are red, he sees Joey and jumps to his feet straight away for a hand shake. Donald says that he will leave the two with it and heads off. Joey takes Nate to grab a coffee.
At the café the two of them sit and talk. Joey tells Nate that he knows a way that he can earn money and get off the streets. Nate seems interested, but says that he wants no handouts from Joey. Joey says good as he wasn’t going to give him one. He went back and watched videos of their younger days and he always knew he had a fighter in him. He says that his dad saw Nate’s potential and probably would have trained him had Joey and Nate not drifted apart. Nate assumes Joey is telling him to become a boxer but Joey says no: he thinks Nate should train for mixed martial arts. He isn’t sure about accepting until he remembers what Donald told him about taking the opportunities. Nate says he’d do it but on one condition: that Joey train him. Joey says that he can’t train him, signaling to his wrist. Nate dismisses that as nonsense and says that the knowledge and thought is more important than any physical challenge that a trainer could pose. He then tells Joey that he misses the old man - who never let the fame get to him and always looked out for his son and his friends. Joey smiles and says that he will do it.
Nate moves into a spare bedroom that Joey and Sarah have in their home, one they’ve been saving in case they ever have a kid. Nate sits on the bed, closes his eyes and takes it all in. Sarah notices that he does not have much belongings with him and offers to take him out shopping for more clothes. While out shopping, Nate thanks Sarah and says that she seems like the perfect match for Joey. As they talk more, he starts to open up about his addiction issues and how it has plagued him for his entire adult life. He wants to get better just can't seem to escape. She gives him a shoulder to cry on.
When choosing a place to train Nate, Joey knows exactly where to go: the gym his father owned in Baltimore. Nate and Joey walk into the gym, pictures of his father are up all around the place. Nate goes and stands in front of one and looks at it for a beat. Joey looks at it too. Joey tells him to get ready, they start in 5. Nate walks off to get ready as Joey stands at the picture he says he hopes to make him proud. A training montage (about two minutes long) shows Joey putting him through his paces, jumping rope, hitting the bag, etc. In the end he has him spar against someone. Nate ends up making him tap very early on.
A few weeks later: Joey walks over to Nate training and says that he has lined up a fight, Joey says that it pays 200 dollars. Nate smiles and continues to punch the bag, he says he is ready.
The octagon is set, no more than 200 people are in attendance, Nate’s opponent is out first he is introduced as, ‘Creepy Buddy Brimstone’ (Buddy Duress). Buddy looks in the zone he isn’t fazed by anything. He walks around the octagon ready for Nate to come out. Joey sits opposite Nate and tells him to keep it simple and do what he does best. A knock on the door is heard as someone says they are ready for him. Nate looks desperate for this win, he needs that money. He enters the octagon and stares daggers into Buddy. The ref gets them to touch gloves and go back to the corners. The bell rings and the two fighters come together, touching gloves again. Buddy goes for a right hook but Nate dodges it and leads in with one of his own, he startles Buddy already. Nate goes on the hunt stalking Buddy all around the octagon. He fakes another hook and instead hits a roundhouse kick knocking Buddy out. The ref calls the fight and the crowd are shocked. A lot of the fans think it was a fluke and he can’t win like that again. Joey comes in the octagon, puts his hands on Nate’s shoulders and says he told him he would do it.
After the fight back in the locker Nate is paid his 200 dollars, he offers Joey a portion but he declines, it’s all Nate’s. Joey also says that he wants to celebrate and offers to take Nate out to dinner. Nate declines at first not wanting to be an even bigger burden on Joey, but Joey insists, so he agrees.
Joey takes Nate to a restaurant in their old neighborhood, where he used to take him when he was younger. Nate asks if Joey is coming and he declines. Nate asks Joey about their marriage and Joey says it is complicated. They have been experiencing issues with trying to have a kid and it has taken a toll on them. To lighten the mood, Nate starts to talk about the fight and how alive he felt in the octagon. He wants Joey to book him more fights and Joey likes what he hears. However, he is clear about one thing: if he is going to commit to this - being Nate’s trainer/manager - then he needs Nate to stay clean. Nate figures that this is really in reference to their younger years but he tells him that he is committed. Joey shakes his hand and says they will take this as far as they can go, before giving his friend a hug.
Fight after fight is shown, Nate wins them all, he knocks some out and taps others. 9 fights go by with still no loss. However not all are as quick as the fight against Buddy, a sign of improving opponents.
With the connections he had through his father, Joey sets up a meeting with Fred (Jeremy Strong), an executive from the top MMA promotion in the United States. Joey asks if there is a spot for Nate on the prelims of some lesser show just to have a shot but Fred turns him down. Joey then asks what about one of their dumb reality shows or something like that but Fred turns him down again. He gets blunt about: Nate does not fit their ideal image of a fighter. Joey asks if this is a joke but Fred lists off Nate’s multiple arrests. Joey, now visibility aggravated, curses out Fred and leaves.
Joey meets with Nate and tells him the news, he said no one wants him and he needs to prove everybody wrong. He needs to make a statement in his next fight.
Fight night comes, his opponent is bigger than him with more reach. The ref makes them touch gloves, but Nate doesn’t. They walk back. The bell rings and Nate runs in straight away, he hits his opponent with a flying knee, finishing the fight in the quickest recorded time. He stands and plays to the crowd saying that the octagon is his house. Joey gets in and says that is exactly what they needed.
A few weeks later, Joey gets a call from Japan but ignores it. When the number calls he again, he finally picks up and it is Kazuo Cohen (Ken Watanabe) - head booker for one of Japan’s top promotions. He explains that they have encountered an issue: one of their top fighters in their welterweight division fights next week and the opponent they had lined up for him has failed a pre-fight drug test. They need an opponent on quick notice and Kazuo’s sources have told him that Nate is rising fighter to look out for. Joey is surprised - and elated - to hear this. Cohen asks if they would be willing to take the fight on such notice. If he wins, then he gets a multi-fight contract with the company. Joey asks for time to talk to his fighter and Cohen says to get back to him ASAP. When Joey talks to Nate, they weigh the pros and cons but agree that this is a good step forward in his career. Not only is it in a bigger promotion but it is also a fighter in the twilight years of his career with declining physical abilities. They agree that they should do it and call Cohen back.
With the short turnaround before the fight, Joey and Nate book their flight to Osaka and get on their way. They make the long journey over and get right to work on training. They watch tape of their opponent’s fights and try to adjust their style to his. After training, they go out onto the town and take in the different culture, very much seeming like fish-out-of-water but not trying to stick out. After getting dinner, they go to their separate hotel rooms, where Nate is restless.
The next morning, Joey is called into the offices of the organization to meet with Cohen again. This time, another man (Hiroyuki Sanada) is with him. Cohen tells Joey that there is an added wrinkle to Nate’s fight that he needs to know about. His opponent - Takeshi Kobayashi - is one of their top drawing cards and on the verge of super-stardom. While this is a great opportunity for Nate, they all know what needs to happen: he throws the fight to Kobayashi. It can go to a decision but Kobayashi needs to dominate the fight and win decisively. Joey laughs this off and says that they can’t be serious. Cohen then introduces the other man - Shinichi Takahashi - who lays things out in fine detail: Nate will throw this fight and, as a reward, Joey and Nate will receive a larger share of the purse under the table. Everybody wins. If not, they might need to plan on staying in Japan longer than previously thought. After Takahashi leaves, Cohen tells Joey that his organization has friends in high places and that it is best if they act in everyone’s best interest. With no choice but to say yes, Joey begrudgingly shakes Cohen’s hand.
We see Joey walking back to his hotel, talking to himself. He isn’t sure what - or if - to tell Nate.
The morning of the fight hits, before the crowd starts turning up Joey and Nate walk out the tunnel to the stadium they are in awe of stadium and all of the people that will be watching Nate fight. They head to the back for Nate to get ready for his big fight.
Takeshi (Kenta Kobayashi) practices his strikes and kicks on a bag. Standing around the room is Japanese men in suits including Shinichi. Shinichi walks over to Takeshi and speaks in Japanese telling him to destroy the American. Takeshi nods and continues warming up.
Joey and Nate sit in the locker room talking, Joey tells him he knows what he has to do, Nate nods and says he is ready to make a name for himself. His music plays and he walks to the octagon hyping himself up. He looks around in amazement at the Japanese fanbase, he waits in the octagon for Takeshi.
The stadium goes black and out comes Takeshi. The ref calls them both over to touch gloves. The first two rounds are even, it is a back and forth fight. Nate looks like he could get the better of Takeshi at the end of the second round, when he has him in a triangle. The bell rings for the end of round 2. Nate walks to his corner bloody and bruised. Joey gives him some pointers on how to deal with the onslaught from Takeshi. Takeshi is talked to by Shinichi. Shinichi asks what he is doing out there, KNOCK HIM OUT! Nate and Takeshi walk to the middle of the octagon. Takeshi goes for a body kick but it’s a fake, Nate tries to block it but his head is left free, Takeshi hits him with a right hook, Nate’s eye splits open straight away and he is knocked out. Nate doesn’t move as Takeshi celebrates, the screen goes black.
Nate wakes up in a hospital bed, unsure of what happened. He is informed of the brutal knockout and the injury and the length of recovery he is looking at. Joey tells him that once he is released from the hospital, they will fly back to the States and the road to recovery will begin there. They can think about the next fight once he is fully healed.
We see Nate at his new low-rent apartment, dealing with the pain (both internal and external). The pain medication is helping and he tries to use it in moderation but it gets to be difficult. As the recovery takes longer than expected, his communication with Joey and Sarah becomes more sparse. The cycle of isolation leads him back to the pills.
Nate wakes up in a hospital bed, unsure of what happened. The nurse calls Joey in, him being the closest thing he has to family. Joey says he is happy to see those eyes open again. Nate asks what happened and Joey tells him that he overdosed and Donald found him near death. He’s lucky to be alive, really. After a beat, Joey asks Nate what he was thinking? What about the promise he had made after the first fight? Nate doesn’t answer him. Joey says he feels let down is all. Why doesn’t Nate ever commit to making something of himself? He didn’t as a teenager and he isn’t now. Nate finally speaks up and says that he is sorry he couldn’t be born into the family a well-off boxer. Joey says not to bring his father into this, this is about Nate and this relapse. Nate says that it IS about Joey’s father.
He remembers when they were younger and one of the things they did together was train so that Joey could become a famous boxer like this father. But he didn’t quite have it in him, did he? Joey points to his arm and says that he couldn’t have succeeded. Nate says he may have been clean the last fifteen years but he wasn’t then. We see a young Joey in the ring as an amateur boxer, knocking out his opponent with a left hook to the temple. The opponent falls the ground and Joey follows through but the opponent is not moving. The ref backs him away as the medic enters the ring and Joey realizes that something is wrong.
In present day, Nate points to Joey’s wound and says that the accident that caused that was because he was on a bender of his own. Because he couldn’t deal with not living up to his father’s expectations because of what he did in the ring. Joey admits to this and asks what that has to do with now. So Nate tells him: he is using Nate to try to retroactively make his dead dad proud. Nate’s success is only about Joey living vicariously through his career. Joey says that he wants Nate to succeed and he wanted to improve his life. Nate tells him to drop the act. His father killed himself because he didn’t want to deal with a debilitating brain caused by years in the ring. So now Joey wants Nate to kill himself out there in the octagon just so Joey can feel some sense of fatherly love. Joey is seething at this point and swings at Nate, catching him on the jaw and causing nurses to rush in.
Back home again in Baltimore, Joey pays a visit to his dad’s grave. He punches the gravestone like a punching bag, injuring his hand instead. He then punches with the hand into the grass, letting out a guttural yell.
Some Time Later
Nate is fully recovered from his overdose. We see him taking part in a 12-step program, finally off of drugs. He gives Sarah a call but she is unavailable.
With voiceover, he talks about how he has gotten back into fighting. In the octagon, they announce his pro record as 11-7. He says he’s not lived up to his potential but at least fighting provides him with something steady, a nice contrast from the absence he has lived his whole life with. In the fight, it is a brutal battle with Nate losing by TKO. Afterwards, he packs up and drives a modest car around town, taking in the sights. He says that he is fighting for Joey Lambert and his dad, even if neither one of them are in his corner. He comments on the cyclical nature of these things.
He drives through the cemetery and sees the headstone for Joey’s father. In the plot next to it, the grass is interrupted by newly dug dirt. Nate gives a head nod.
Nate is in the octagon and announced as 11-8. With his body a bit weaker than before but hardened in a way, he pumps himself up for another fight.
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