Embattled

"I came upon this script completely by accident. I was asked for my notes on it, and after reading it, I knew that I had to direct it. I think no man has a simple relationship with their father, and I loved the nuanced approach that David took. Setting this relatable story in the world of MMA was the cherry on top. I knew I was born to direct that." - Nick Sarkisov

Embattled is not just a new film about the professional fight sports world, but rather a family drama featuring the confrontation between a world champion MMA fighting father and one of his two sons from a previous marriage. As arrogant as the best in his class, Cash (Stephen Dorff) lives in a wealth, adulation, and worldwide popularity as his antics and the fact that he is unbeatable in a ring he has managed to build up far from his first marriage. He rejected his previous family because he couldn't deal with the fact that one of his two children, Quinn, had Williams Syndrome disease and almost killed him when he clashed with him while under the influence of alcohol. Although he has rebuilt a new family, he continues to have a close relationship with his other son Jett, whom he has taken under his wing so that he can become a professional athlete in the world of MMA fighting like him. One day when the past comes to the fore and a viral video showing a fight between Cash and Jett catches everyone's attention, promoters have the idea of having father and son, Cash and Jett, fight each other in the ring.

Based on a screenplay by David McKenna (American History X (1998), Get Carter (2000), Blow (2001)) and directed by Nick Sarkisov (Krasny (2016)), Embattled bases its main frame in the MMA fighting world as Warrior (2011) and as this film relies on an excellent cast starting with Stephen Dorff in one of his best roles. With his look very close to the world MMA star Conor McGregor, he gives his character a real psychological depth and proves to be perfect both in the ring (the numerous fight scenes are perfectly choreographed) and in the role of a father who has rejected one of his sons and is about to face another one in the ring. His dissolute life, his willingness to speak freely without censorship makes his character a ring king ready for anything.

Facing him, we find the young actor Darrell Mann (Even Lambs Have Teeth (2015), Hello Destroyer (2016), Franky (2018) just as perfect in the role of a young adult who feels bad about himself, who overprotects his handicapped brother and helps his mother as best he can. Supporting roles include Elizabeth Reaser, Donald Faison (Scrubs series) and above all the sublime Ava Capri who brings an undeniable feminine charm to the film as Jett's girlfriend. A true revelation in this film, we can already bet that we will hear about her many times in the years to come.

Far from being only a succession of fight scenes, Nick Sarkisov's perfectly mastered script takes a concrete look at the combat sports world and all the money it generates not only for the fighters' fees but also for advertising, bets and broadcasting rights. By staying in realism all the time, and by showing the confrontation of a father and his son, the film delivers a powerful drama which pushes us to move forward whether it is only money or more noble causes. One suspects that for Jett Boykins his main motivation is his emancipation from an abusive father who has become a superstar. Surrounded by a loving mother, a brother who means a lot to him and a girlfriend, he seeks neither fame nor money in his fight. At no time does the pace falter and Embattled easily establishes itself as one of his best end of year films. We can only advise you to discover this film available in the United States since November 20th and we hope to see it broadcast in France in the following months.

Embattled
Directed by Nick Sarkisov
Produced by Eryl Cochran, Scott LaStaiti, Sergey Sarkisov
Written by David McKenna
Starring Stephen Dorff, Elizabeth Reaser, Donald Faison, Saïd Taghmaoui, Darren Mann, Karrueche Tran, Drew Starkey, Drew Scheid, Ava Capri, Charles Green, Mimi Davila, John Flanagan, Donald Cerrone, Michael Wayne Foster, Adam Karst
Music by Michael Brook
Cinematography: Paul Ozgur
Edited by Mark Sanger
Production companies : Blitz Films, Straight Up Films
Distributed by IFC Films (USA)
Release date : November 20 2020 ( USA)
Running time: 117 minutes

Viewed on November 21, 2020

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