American Fighter Parent Guide

Expecting to meet his parents as they arrive from their Tehran flight, Ali (George Kosturos) instead finds himself having a horrifying conversation with the pilot. Armed men had boarded the plane in Tehran, killed his father, and prevented his mother from leaving Iran. Already trying to balance competitive wrestling and a full academic load at university, Ali suddenly needs to raise about $30,000 to have his mother rescued, and time is of the essence. Unable to get a regular job that can raise that kind of money quickly, Ali has to get creative. His friend, Ryan (Bryan Craig) might have the answer. A skilled wrestler like Ali can make good money quickly in an illegal MMA fight with McClellan (Tommy Flanagan), the local bookie. But even then, Ali is going to need help to make it in the brutal world of underground bareknuckle fighting, and his only hope may be washed-up former fighter Duke (Sean Patrick Flannery).

Fighting movies are usually about heart over technique. Rocky Balboa had some fun training montages, but at the end of the day, that movie wasn’t a documentary about boxing. The same thing goes for American Fighter. While the fighting is prominent (and fairly intense), what is at stake for Ali is far more important than whether he can throw a good punch. And American Fighter knows it. The fighting is a big draw, but the focus of the film is on Ali’s friendships and his need to save his mother.

This is not to say the movie is perfect. The pacing is a little odd, with a long first act, about ten minutes of transition, and then the third act. It’s not the end of the world, but it does make a relatively short flick feel a good bit longer. The other issue is the character development, which suffers from a similar problem. Ali is a pretty static character for about 65 minutes of a 90 minute movie, which does hurt.

That said, I have a soft spot for these underdog stories. I’ve seen almost this exact story (with a variety of motivations) more times than I could count, but that has somehow failed to dampen my enthusiasm. If you’re also a fan of the genre, I expect you’ll have a good time – even with the brutal violence in the ring. While this isn’t a children’s film, obviously, older teens and adults should be able to handle American Fighter. Of course, that’s assuming they aren’t about to try any of this at home: Even in the ring, some of the moves on display here could easily prove fatal or result in permanent disability, and that would ruin the fun real quick, wouldn’t it?