Sheldon Candis’ crowd-pleaser, They Fight, is appropriately titled. Every single character in it is fighting for or against something. Based on a true story right here in the DMV, the film stars Andre Holland, one of the best actors in the world, as Walt Manigan, a former boxing coach just paroled from prison. He’s fighting to get his life back on track, and against his own personal demons. He’s also fighting to get back into the life of his ex, Ketta, played by Samira Wiley, and the son they share together. Walt settles in at a local rec center that is fighting against city-wide budget cuts disproportionately affecting programs that help at-risk youth in minority communities. The young Black boys are taught boxing, discipline, and are entered into a tournament where they will fight against one another. There’s no shortage of people to cheer on along the way, but the real underdog is the movie itself, a quietly affecting drama about redemption, community, human spirit the likes of which tend to get overlooked these days.
They Fight is driven by Holland’s textured performance as Walt, but the heart is the always amazing Wendell Pierce as Slim. It’s Slim, who runs the rec center, who recognizes Walt for the man he used to be, and gives him the chance he desperately needs. He also offers Walt a place to sleep in the center, but for that he’ll also need to start working with the boys in the boxing club. It’s not something Walt wants to do, and he’s hesitant, but Slim is wise enough to see that it’s something he needs even if he can’t see it for himself.
Candis teases some of Walt’s issues without making them too obvious. A chronic injury has Walt on painkillers, and every time he takes one there’s the slightest hesitation, as if he’s fearful of becoming hooked. We don’t know if that’s part of what drove him away from the sport. He says he lost his love for it, but why remains a mystery. No actor is better at playing someone shouldering immense amounts of regret better than Holland.
Along with Holland, Pierce, and Wiley who are always great, the film is boosted by the performances of its young cast. Anthony B. Jenkins impresses as Peanut, a bullied kid who is in need of the boxing program as well as a father-figure since his own father, played by Andre Royo (Bubbles from The Wire) is about as unfit as possible. Walt takes over training Peanut, as well as Quincey, played by the terrific Toussaint Francois Battiste, and the two boys quickly become friends. Their friendship feels earned, tangible, it doesn’t happen right away but develops over time. It’s safe to say that as they are learning to become young men, Walt is putting the hard work that Ketta demanded of him.
They Fight is a movie that wants to leave you with reason to be hopeful, to believe that there are good people out there doing good things to help others. It accomplishes that in spades. However, it does so by rounding down the sharp edges of what is a much tougher, darker story. For all of the hinting at it, we never see Walt slip back into old habits. Not to say that he did in real life (you can watch the documentary it’s based on for more), or even that we necessarily want to see that happen, but his path doesn’t appear to be that difficult. As such, the film has to shift gears to create some tension, and does so by focusing on a boxing match between the two homies, Peanut and Quincey. However, there’s not a ton of heat there, either, because they are never truly at odds.
Still, there’s something to be said for They Fight being this oasis of kindhearted, feel-good storytelling performed by a stellar cast. This is the kind of film that has to fight for attention, so hopefully it will connect with an audience as it’s streaming now on Hulu.
