The latest grungy fight drama to test the limits of unpleasantness is “The Cut,” which premiered Thursday at the Toronto International Film Festival.
At the start, “The Cut” is an adequate, typical gloves-and-shoves picture.
And then, with a snap of the fingers, director Sean Ellis’ film turns absolutely interminable.
The main crux of this displeasure cruise is Bloom’s character losing 28 pounds in just six days to be eligible to compete.
That means locking himself away in a ghastly hotel room, eating hardly any food, popping laxatives like TicTacs, using dangerous illegal drugs and sweating profusely.
But condensed into two hours, it becomes just short of impossible to engage with a story in which the main character sets out to conquer his past demons by introducing yet more demons.
And as he writhes and injects, we don’t much like the boxer, find him intriguing or believe in anything he aims to do.
Caitríona Balfe from “Outlander” plays the boxer’s girlfriend Caitlin, who exists in a constant state of worry.
Rough around the edges, he creates a Conor McGregor type that’s the polar opposite of what we usually associate Bloom with.
And with “The Cut,” we only want to cut and run.
“The Cut,” which debuted on Thursday at the Toronto International Film Festival, is the most recent gritty fight drama to push the envelope of unpleasantness.
Orlando Bloom bids adieu to Middle Earth and the high seas in his portrayal of The Boxer, an Irish boxer with a troubled past who is invited back to the professional ranks for a high-profile match in Las Vegas after a ten-year absence.
“The Cut” begins with a resounding, standard image of gloves and shovels. And then, as if by a click of the fingers, director Sean Ellis’s film becomes endlessly long.
The central plot point of this unpleasant cruise revolves around Bloom’s character, who needs to shed 28 pounds in just six days in order to compete.
This entails isolating himself in an obscene hotel room, eating very little, taking dangerous illegal drugs, breaking out with strangers, and perspiring a lot. He gets close to passing away.
But that’s not enough misery to last a lifetime. We also get to see flashbacks to his horrific upbringing in Northern Ireland, where he was surrounded by IRA terrorists and a mother who worked as a sex worker and, in a heinous moment, gave her young son up to a pedophile who paid for services.
He gets the skill of fighting to survive.
Indeed, we live in a desolate and hopeless world where these realistic horrors exist. But when a story like this is compressed into two hours, it becomes nearly hard to connect with a character who is trying to overcome his past demons by bringing in new ones.
Psychological suffering and physical trauma dominate more than half the movie.
We also don’t think the boxer is very interesting, like him, or believe in anything he’s trying to accomplish as he writhes and injects.
The final credits feature the only hero you cheer for.
“Outlander” star Caitríona Balfe portrays Caitlin, the boxer’s girlfriend, who is always anxious. Reasonably, I suppose. However, it’s a boring role for an attractive actress.
After five minutes, I had had enough of Donny’s repugnant trainer Boz, John Turturro.
With what he has, Bloom does a great job contributing to the cause. The complete opposite of what we typically associate Bloom with, rough around the edges, he crafts a Conor McGregor type.
These kinds of parts, which are idly labeled as hard-hitting but are actually all agony, are highly coveted by actors. Watchers are able to view the performer’s work as if it were the Grand Canyon. It is impossible to miss.
As much as the boxer is trying to lose weight, Bloom is undoubtedly trying to shed his pretty-boy, elven image, and playing more roles like this will help him do so.
However, for that to occur, viewers must genuinely desire to see his films. Furthermore, all we want to do with “The Cut” is cut and flee.
