One does not need to sit through this film to get the gist.

The screenplay is generic and the runtime is exhausting.

There were too many themes in this sports drama about a disgraced female MMA fighter (Halle Berry) crawling her way back to victory. “Bruised” felt like a sports drama slash romance slash…I don’t even know.

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But, there were positives:

🥊  “Bruised” is the first boxing full-length feature film I’ve seen since “Million Dollar Baby” (2004) with a female lead.

🥊  It is the first boxing film I’ve seen led by a Black woman.

🥊  It is the first boxing film I’ve seen led by a woman whose main trainer is also a woman, and a Black one at that.

🥊 This is also the first film in history with an all-female rap soundtrack.

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And also, Halle Berry is 55 years old, bruh. I don’t care how good she looks for her age, I know she has to feel incredible about what she was able to accomplish with this film.

“Bruised” was her directorial debut, she’s the star of the film, and she also served as a producer.  Berry wore multiple hats to get this film finished and distributed by Netflix. A feat as inspirational as the film’s screenplay—I’m happy to see HER do it.

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Berry may have played the main character in the film, but her trainer Buddhakhan, played by Sheila Atim, was the star of the show. As soon as we’re introduced to Buddha, she hits the ground running with energy. Her electric performance kept me engaged with the piece, and I missed her when she was not on the screen. And her skin is to die for. (I am jelly.)

Gotta give me shouts to the young legend, Danny Boyd Jr., who portrayed Jackie’s (Berry) son Manny. He was mute for the overwhelming majority of his screen time, but I thought he acted with grace, especially during scenes that presented domestic challenges for Jackie.

Stephen McKinley Henderson has had a prolific year! Shouts to him for snagging the trainer role as “Pops,” assisting Buddha with Jackie’s comeback. Henderson said “Imma need that ‘Dune‘ and ‘Bruised’ check, please Hollywood.” I love it!

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The wonky bits:

🥊  The screenplay reminded me of a Lifetime Original Movie. It was predictable, and I did not need to watch entire film to get the aim. It felt like a “watch the trailer, get the whole film” vibe. There were no surprises—just a standard story structure with a familiar screenplay.

🥊  Much of this film felt like the “Halle Berry Workout Plan.” Many boxing or sports films include montages of training sessions. I think the miss for this one was the film’s chaotic editing. The lead up to the big fight was not convincing enough for me to muster up any enthusiasm to see Halle fight the top MMA fighter in the world. 🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️

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In conclusion…