Grudge Match

How many boxing films can Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro star in before they admit that their life passion is in fact boxing and not acting? Whatever the answer is, add Grudge Match to the list of sport rivalry classics on your shelf, because this one is well on its way to being one of the best of the year – and we’re not even a fortnight into 2014 yet.

A powerhouse cast, with movie greats De Niro and Stallone going toe-to-toe after 30 years of retirement, and a supporting cast with faces like Kevin Hart, Alan Arkin, and Kim Basinger to name just a few, this sports comedy will have you splitting at the sides in laughter, and might possibly leave you feeling concussed due to the second hand impact of all the punches thrown.

Grudge Match follows the return of two old timers, Razor Sharp (Stallone), and Kid McDonnen (De Niro), in a dramatic last bout to settle a rivalry that bloomed some decades prior. Fists are thrown, tears are shed, and although the film features a litany of clichés throughout that sometimes cut the emotive aspect of some moments in half – or rather, box them out of the ring – the plot builds beautifully into a recalcitrant, biting and obstinate friendship between two former legends.

It could dishearten some classic film fans to say that there aren’t any Eye of the Tiger moments, so to speak, in the film. It might do those hardcore Rocky fans well to prepare for that miniscule let down. However, this is a genuine feel-good movie that takes humour and applies it to the vicious, blood-filled world of combat sports, and brings to life very real and very human emotions and characters. Grudge Match is a sure-fire piece of cinema to get your hands on  this season.

Hannah Ross

Watch the trailer for Grudge Match here: