Forget Gladiator, Russell Crowe’s Beast features him mostly sitting down, yet he still manages to completely steal the show.
Synopsis
Beast follows a washed-up MMA fighter fighting for personal redemption. Suddenly, a tragic twist flips his journey into a brutal revenge mission. He must balance complex family drama while preparing for the ultimate cage fight.
Cast and Performances
Russell Crowe has a tiny amount of screen time here. However, he is absolutely brilliant whenever he commands the screen. Daniel MacPherson truly embraces the extreme physicality of his role. He delivers a solid performance that beautifully captures both immense grief and family devotion. Meanwhile, Patton benefits immensely from a female trainer, which offers a refreshing change for the genre. Consequently, the entire locked-in cast brings incredibly strong performances to the table. You will definitely know the cast is Australian because they scream “let’s fucking goooo” constantly.
Production
Visually, the brilliant first-person POV scenes keep the tension incredibly high. These creative camera techniques make the intense fight sequences much more enjoyable. Furthermore, the sound design matches this high quality perfectly. The audio team timed every swoop and punch impact with absolute precision. Sadly, the uninspiring training montage lets the production down. The creators definitely could have done better with that specific sequence.
The Film Review
Beast starts as a redemption arc, flips to revenge, and eventually fuses both themes beautifully. Additionally, the different family drama dynamics create some decent plot points. I do feel the critical brother relationship needed much more development, though. Furthermore, the film drags because it spends too much runtime on unnecessary dialogue, train sequences and setup. This bloated pacing makes the movie feel more like a streaming-level sports drama than a theatrical experience. Nevertheless, the authentic MMA fight choreography is easily some of the best I have ever seen.
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