Rumble Through the Dark movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Rumble Through the Dark

This brutal action movie is now streaming on sites like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Vudu, Google Play, and even YouTube.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 56 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: B

IN A NUTSHELL:

Aaron Eckhart sure has been busy lately! The thriller was released a couple of months ago, but I finally had time to watch it just recently. His most recent film, The Bricklayer, came out this month. Check out my review of that one here too!

The story is about a boxer (Eckhart) who struggles to pay off his debts in a desperate attempt to salvage the family home of his dying foster mother. The film is based on the book “The Fighter” by Michael Farris Smith.

The film was directed by young brothers Graham and Parker Phillips. Congratulations to them on directing their first film together! They have both acted for a number of years, and Parker previously directed the movie The Bygone in 2019.

THINGS I LIKED:

I’m a fan of Aaron Eckhart even if he tends to be in crummy movies lately. One of my sons has his eyes and facial structure, so feel oddly connected to the actor. Aaron (notice I’m calling him by his first name…ha ha) has a Southern accent in the film to fit in with the Mississippi Delta region. He gives a great performance here, both physically and emotionally. He takes a lot of hard-hitting beatings for our entertainment and truly disappears into the character.
I’m also a fan of Bella Thorne, so I was excited to see her in something again.
Wow, Derek Russo is a beast! I don’t think I have ever seen him in anything before! I had to look him up and found out that he’s a stunt man, a voice actor, Marine Corps veteran, college and Minor League football player, and even a professional stand-up comedian! I had no idea!
The rest of the cast does a good job and includes Ritchie Coster, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Virginia Newcomb, Ritchie Montgomery, and Michael McColl.
The film is filled with broken people and flawed characters just trying to survive in the world.
When we spend time in the bars with Aaron Eckhart’s character, we hear the exact kind of music one would hear in places like that. The flavor of the setting of this movie is very strong in locations, accents, sounds, and sights.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

It breaks my heart to watch characters make one bad decision after another for an hour and a half.
Many of the scenes occur at night (as alluded to by the title of the film) and are visually dark, so try to watch this on the biggest screen you can.
Some moments seem unbelievable and unrealistic, so just don’t think too hard and then you’ll enjoy this more.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Lots of violence
Lots of profanity, including F-bombs
Destruction of property
Gambling
Alcohol
Bullying
Various weapons are used.
A kid yells at another boy “Hey, Lesbian boy!”
We see bloody images and dead bodies.
We see a shirtless man.
A tattooed woman dances erotically only wearing pasties on her chest.

THEMES:

Boxing
Repaying debts and kindness
Foster family and blood family
Parenting
Knowing who you are
Digging deep

FUNNY LINES:

None worth noting.

INTERESTING LINES:

“You might get hurt if you do, but you WILL get hurt if you don’t.” – Big Momma Sweet (Marianne Jean-Baptiste)
“Nobody has the right to call you names or hurt you. ” – Maryann (Amanda Saunders)
“Dumb don’t think it through. Dumb just does.” – Annette (Bella Thorne)
“It’s a longshot, I know; most things are.” – Annette (Bella Thorne)
“I ain’t no angel from heaven, but it don’t really matter where I’m from. It just matters that I’m here.” – Annette (Bella Thorne)
“It’s too late.” – Jack Boucher (Aaron Eckhart) “It’s never too late.” – Maryann (Amanda Saunders)
“We’re always looking for who we are: you, me, all of us, and that doesn’t have anything to do with your blood.” – Maryann (Amanda Saunders)