Swing Bout

A great deal of drama is taking place between fighters, coaches and promoters on the day of a major boxing event.

This feature from Ireland is a boxing film, however it might not be what most people might expect, meaning that there are no actual boxing fights to be seen, not even a ring for that matter. Instead, it is a story that focuses on character development and drama, whith the narrative taking place backstage, before and during a day of boxing matches.

There are a variety of characters and the screenplay alternates between them throughout, exploring their situations. The main protagonist would be an up-and-coming boxer named Toni (Berkeley), who is about to engage in a career-defining bout against Vicki (Cronin) in a series of short boxing matches that are part of a televised boxing program. Toni is determined to succeed, however things take a dramatic turn when her trainer Emma (O'Riordan) informs her that she must throw the fight in exchange for a large sum of money. The main subject is the fixed fight and the story navigates other subplots that include promoter Micko (Prendergast) getting into serious trouble with the law and Emma's relations with Micko's brother, Jack (Condron) and Gary (Gerard Kearney), a reporter for a boxing channel on social media.

One of the main subjects is corruption within the world of sports and the film explores to a great length how people, particularly coaches and promoters, are willing to take advantage of athletes for their own personal gain. The script actually goes even deeper, suggesting that even a parent might not take their offspring's mental well-being under serious consideration, as indicated by Vicki's father (Johnny Elliott).

The screenplay effectively explores the protagonists and their struggles. Toni is a hard-trainer, determined to succeed in the world of boxing and leave her troubled past behind. She motivates herself by listening to a recording of motivational speeches on her headphones. Emma, Gary, Micko and Gary represent the corruption that exists in the sporting world. Micko in particular stands out due to Prendergast's electrifying performance as as a guy who has gotten himself into deep trouble and becomes more and more desperate as the authorities close in on him. Vicki makes an intriguing character, a fighter who talks and acts tough, while behind all that, she is vulnerable.

O'Carroll is quite creative with the directing and develops some well-executed long takes. The audio benefits significantly from BK Pepper's contribution for the dramatic score and the songs Are You Ready? by Beacon Light and Joshua Silverberg and Standing Tall by Antimo Puca Kelly.

As mentioned, no boxing fights take place on-screen, yet the result of engaging in full-contact combat sport competition is evident on people's faces (now would be a good time to mention that physical violence without the gloves is present and rather graphic) and recognition goes to make-up artist Aitana Silvana for the outstanding work.

A fixed fight, a serious crime, tensions between fighters, corrupt trainers and promoters, confrontations, insults, back-stabbing, a life-and-death situation. This is what viewers will see in this intriguing drama about the world of boxing that includes strong acting and a tense screenplay.