Johnny Flynton

Johnny Flynton is a 2002 American short film directed and co-written by Lexi Alexander. It was nominated for Academy Award for Best [Live Action Short Film|Best Live Action Short Film] at the 75th Academy Awards.

Plot

Based on a true story and starring Dash Mihok in the title role, the film follows an undefeated boxer, Johnny Flynton, in a small Alabama town on the day of a local exhibition fight that sparks a series of tragic events.

Cast

Dash Mihok as Johnny Flynton
Michele Matheson as Samantha Flynton
Robert W. Hill as Sheriff Mayer
Austin Crim as Teddy
Georgine Gainey as Mrs. Derouville
Raymond Thorne as Coach Tagwood
Jim Lampley as himself
Pat E. Johnson as Referee

Background

Johnny Flynton was the first film Alexander directed. She said that the film, about a boxer from Alabama who is charged with murder, is a fictional story that was inspired by meeting a boxer in Germany when she was 9 years old, an interaction that she remembered and was the basis of the idea for the film.

Production

The film, which Alexander entirely financed with a year's income from coaching martial arts, had a budget of $35,000.

Reception

A Film Threat review says, "Fuck 'Rocky,' this is the best film about a boxer that I've ever seen."