AFI 2021: Berry stars as a UFC fighter seeking redemption in and out of the ring, but the script doesn’t deliver on the story’s potential
Movies about fighters might technically fall under the sports film umbrella, but they inhabit a unique genre all their own, one that has knocked out many a first-time director. A keen eye for character must be matched with an expert ability to construct fight scenes in all their rawness and technological beauty. Halle Berry’s directorial debut “Bruised” is no exception. It’s a valiant effort from Berry, but it doesn’t quite hit the mark, weighed down by a formulaic script, uneven fight direction, and little depth in exploring how a female fighter’s experience might change when a role written as a white, Irish woman is played by a Black actor. Former Ultimate Fighting Championship star Jackie Justice (Berry) has been out of the game for more than four years. Disgraced, she lives with her alcoholic boyfriend-manager, Desi (Adan Canto, “Designated Survivor”), and the two seem to do nothing but fight (and not just verbally), drink, and have sex. One night, he takes her to a fight, and Jackie ends up being the main event by putting the night’s winner on the floor. She catches the eye of Immaculate (Shamier Anderson, Apple TV+’s “Invasion”), a fight league promoter, who recruits her to train for a title match against Lady Killer (Valentina Shevchenko, the real-life UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion). Immaculate sends Jackie to train with Buddhakan (Sheila Atim, “The Underground Railroad”), and just as Jackie seems to be ready to return to the ring, her mom shows up with Manny (Danny Boyd Jr.
