The Cut Review
In 2004, Orlando Bloom starred in the plucky British comedy The Calcium Kid, about a milkman who is thrust into the spotlight as a last-minute replacement in a title fight. 21 years later, a similar scenario gets a much darker take in the indie thriller The Cut.
Simply known as The Boxer, Bloom plays a former fighter running a gym with his trainer and partner, Caitlin (Catriona Balfe). He is approached by a promoter for a championship fight in Las Vegas at short notice. The only catch is he is far from the target weight for the fight, and has only a few days before the official weigh-in. He undergoes an intense weight cut to make the fight, but as a sadistic trainer (John Turturro) comes in to speed up the process, The Boxer loses his grip on reality.
Even when done legitimately, cutting weight can be one of the most brutal aspects of the fight process and an interesting set-up for a story where a personal battle runs parallel with the physical one. However, there are numerous issues that plague the film from the beginning. Too much of the story’s context is given in flashback, making the present-day journey more perfunctory than it needs to be.
A lot of attention is paid to the shady characters and the drastic weight loss techniques, but that comes at the expense of knowing why The Boxer needs this so much, or what in his past seems to be holding him back. Scenes of him as a child with his mother (Clare Dunne) fill some of the gaps, but they are snapshots where a fuller portrait might have helped raise the stakes. Occasionally, we see horror-like hallucinations, but these feel out of step with the film as a whole, as does the outlandish finale.
Bloom does a good job of looking haunted, and it goes without saying that the physical transformation is remarkable, with his emaciated form in the third act likely to draw a gasp. However, the script never allows us to get to know him. He’s there to suffer while The Boxer’s torment is portrayed through flashbacks and vague exposition. His star presence is enough to keep things interesting in the early stages, but the humanity is missing.
Turturro is entertaining as the truly despicable fixer brought in to shed the pounds by any means necessary. His cold, uncaring glare and callous putdowns to all around him are the physical embodiment of The Boxer’s challenges, with Balfe playing the good angel who will only push the man she loves so far. The Outlander star gives a heartfelt performance, even if a lot of her dialogue is to explain how much The Boxer is suffering.
The Cut gets points for finding a different angle on the boxing movie, in a subgenre heaving with Rocky or Raging Bull clones. However, it never quite capitalises on its premise, sitting awkwardly between psychological drama and horror, without fully embracing the strengths of either.
★★
In UK cinemas September 5th / Orlando Bloom, Catriona Balfe, John Turturro / Dir: Sean Ellis / Altitude Films / 15
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
About the Author
