Beast is the kind of gritty, bruised-knuckle sports comeback story where redemption is measured in sweat, blood, and just enough emotional closure to make it across the finish line. It’s a formula we’ve seen time and time again, from Rocky to Never Back Down to Warrior, and while Beast rarely breaks free from those familiar beats, it does land more than enough haymakers to justify stepping into the cage.
Directed by Tyler Atkins with a clear reverence for the world of MMA, the film follows Patton James, played with proper intensity by Daniel McPherson (Land of Bad), a former fighting legend turned commercial fisherman. Living a modest, strained life with his pregnant wife Luciana (Kelly Gale), Patton has long since left the violence of the cage behind. The film wastes little time introducing us to that world, prefacing its story with a visceral backstage sequence of battered fighters and extreme nerves before smash-cutting to Patton’s quieter, more grounded present.
Of course, peace is fleeting. When Patton’s reckless younger brother Malon (Mojean Aria) is brutally beaten into a coma after challenging the reigning champion Xavier Grau (a magnetic Bren Foster), the film kicks into gear. With mounting medical bills, looming debts to a local crime boss, and the weight of providing for his growing family, Patton is pulled back into the orbit of violence. It’s here that Beast leans hardest into its tropey genre DNA: the reluctant return, the ticking clock, the one last fight.
Reuniting with his former coach Sammy, played by the legendary Russell Crowe (who also co-wrote the script), the film attempts to inject a bit of emotional heft into its otherwise straightforward narrative. Crowe brings a worn, lived-in presence to Sammy, and his dynamic with McPherson, which has been strained by years of absence and resentment, gives the film some of its strongest character moments. There’s a compelling undercurrent here about unfinished business and reconciliation, even if the script doesn’t offer much beyond surface level - perhaps to its overall benefit.
You see, where Beast undeniably excels is in its fight choreography. Atkins and his team capture the raw, punishing intensity of MMA with startling authenticity. If you were struggling to get into the movie, the first proper fight onwards is sure to make you sit up straight at attention. Every punch lands with a sickening thud, every takedown rattles through the screen, and the camera stays just close enough to make you feel every ounce of impact; credit where credit is due to cinematographer Thomaz Labanca (Fightworld). These sequences are brutal, kinetic, expertly staged, and easily the film’s biggest selling point. The climactic bout, which was filmed at Impact Arena in Bangkok during an actual ONE Championship event, is especially gripping. It’s a blood-soaked spectacle that fully delivers on what most audiences will be wanting to see.
Outside of the cage, Beast can struggle to maintain that same level of engagement. The narrative is weighed down by familiar cliches and uneven pacing, often feeling like it’s hitting story beats out of obligation rather than necessity. Subplots involving mob debts and family tension never quite cohere into something truly compelling, and certain stretches - particularly a mid-film detour involving Grau being suspended - stall the momentum in noticeable ways.
Still, even when Beast falters, it never fully loses sight of what it does best. There’s an undeniable thrill in watching Patton claw his way back into fighting shape, guided by Sammy’s mantra of “If I can breathe, I can think. If I can think, I can win.” It’s simple, maybe even a little cheesy, but it works. When the film leans into that simplicity, when it strips everything down to two fighters, one arena, and everything on the line, it finds its footing again.
By the time the final bell rings, Beast doesn’t feel like a reinvention of the sports drama so much as a solid yet notably vicious entry into its lineage. It’s overstuffed and occasionally melodramatic, but it definitely delivers where it counts. For all its narrative shortcomings, the film understands the primal appeal of the fight itself: the spectacle, the brutality, the catharsis. It may not be a champion, but it’s one tough contender.
‘Beast’ is now playing in theaters.
