Photo via IMDb
By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
Like an MMA fighter taking a roundhouse kick to the head, this film crumples to the mat without landing a single punch of its own. “Beast” is a fictional drama set in the world of MMA fighting with a bark that’s fiercer than its bite. The story is so generic, viewers may assume the script was written by an A.I. bot, but that would be an insult to A.I.
Ten years after making his mark in the ring as an undefeated MMA legend, Patton James (Daniel MacPherson) no longer wants to fight and finds himself struggling to earn a buck as a commercial fisherman. His reticence to reenter the ring is very slowly worn down by losing his job, mounting bills, a jerk of a brother obsessed with surpassing him in the ring, and the lure of finally holding the championship belt. Patton turns to his former trainer Sammy (Russell Crowe) to help him prepare for a winner-take-all fight against longtime rival Xavier Grau (Bren Foster).
Australian director Tyler Atkins is very green behind the ears, and it shows with this atrocity of a film. For a fight film to really only feature two meaningful fights, the story needs to be uniquely interesting to keep viewers invested, especially during the drawn-out time in between fights. There is nothing remotely unique or interesting about a story that is as formulaic as E=MC². From a disapproving wife character to financial instability to revenge, Atkins tortures viewers with this circuitous route to the inevitable conclusion, hitting every cliché pitstop along the way. By the time the main character finally musters up the resolve to reenter the ring, the audience has long since stopped caring, simply wishing for a quick knockout to leave the theater. Even the dialogue is excruciatingly predictable to the point that viewers are made to feel like an old married couple able to finish each other’s sentences.
There are very few redeemable qualities of this movie, but the two fight scenes themselves would be at the top of this short list. Choreographed by Bren Foster, who plays the main antagonist, the fights are fast paced and authentic, incorporating actual MMA fighting moves, grapples, and submission techniques. Foster is actually a World Champion in multiple martial arts disciplines, reinforcing the authenticity of these scenes. Even these fight sequences are diminished, however, due to the overproduced sound effects that make every hit connection sound like a fist actually exploding through the opponents face to come out the back of the head.
Daniel MacPherson in the lead role makes one wish for Jason Statham instead, which says a lot, considering his rather limited acting skillset. The Australian actor tries to display that menacing glower Statham is known for, but it comes across as forced and unnatural. In fact, his entire performance is meek and forgettable, unable to deliver his lines with any kind of genuine passion or fire. Even his kiss scenes are cringingly embarrassing, as if watching close relatives making out with each other. He does execute the fight choreography rather well, but without the kinetic energy behind it or convincing backstory leading up to it, he may as well have been in a heated chess competition instead.
Russell Crowe is likely the only reason this film received a distribution deal in America, but don’t get your hopes up, he’s only in this film in a limited, supporting role capacity. During his short stints of screentime, he delivers generic words of wisdom fit for a fortune cookie. Even still, he knows how to sell his lines as well as anyone, elevating those rare scenes in which he appears. Unfortunately, the former Oscar winner is not very discerning with scripts anymore, appearing in just about anything regardless of quality. He also has a writing credit for this movie, and let’s just say he should stick to his day job.
Ironically, the last film to be released with the same title was in 2022 featuring Idris Elba, and it shares a common achievement with this film…they are both among the worst films made in their respective year. The only thing “Beast” will knock out is your patience. The pacing is agonizingly slow from the very beginning with an obvious payoff that is sure to induce bitter beer faces as if you were drinking a can of Fosters.
This movie earns:
