Embattled (film)
Embattled is a 2020 American sports drama film directed by Nick Sarkisov, written by David McKenna, based on a story by Frank Ragen and produced by Eryl Cochran. It stars Stephen Dorff as a reigning mixed martial arts fighter whose harsh and abusive nature brings him into conflict with his son.
IFC Films acquired distribution rights to the film in July 2020.
Plot
Raised by abusive father, Cash Boykins abandoned his family when his second son was born with Williams syndrome. Over the years, while he made a successful career as an MMA fighter channeling his anger into the octagon, his eldest son Jett becomes the caregiver to his younger brother Quinn and decides to be an MMA fighter as well. Father and son will soon find themselves battling each other in the cage.
Production
The film was shot in Birmingham, Alabama, from September 24 to November 4, 2018.
Release
IFC Films acquired distribution rights to the film in July 2020, and released it on domestic theaters and on VOD on November 20, 2020.
Reception
Box office
Embattled grossed $32,259 only in the United States and Canada.
Critical response
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average of. The website's critics consensus reads: "Embattled fights genre clichés to a draw while landing enough emotional punches to make this a sports drama worth watching." On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 56 out of 100, based on eight critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. The Los Angeles Times gave the film a great review, describing it as "an exciting, scrappy brawler" and "as a moving family drama, it's a contender."