The movie “Jungleland,” starring Charlie Hunnam and Jack O’Connell, is a powerful film that explores the dark world of underground sports. Directed by Max Winkler and written by Theodore Bressman, David Branson Smith and Winkler, the movie premiered on Sept. 12, 2019 at the Toronto International Film Festival and was officially released in the U.S. on Nov. 6, 2020.
O’Connell plays Lion Kaminski, a boxer, and Hunnam plays his brother, Stanley Kaminski, his struggling manager. In the past, Stan made a dirty deal that ended up getting Lion banned from the traditional boxing circuit. However, things can only go up from there as the brothers plan on using all of their savings to get to San Francisco for a bare-knuckle boxing match with a $100,000 prize.
However, along with Stan’s mess-up with his brother’s career, Stan owes a lot of money to a gangster named Pepper (Jonathan Majors). To clear his debt, Pepper offers Stan a deal to clear his financial debt that entails driving a woman named Sky (Jessica Barden) to Reno for a “family matter,” a coverup for her delivery to a mob boss, which the brothers assumed to be sex work. After this arrangement is made, the true plot of the story begins to unfold.
The movie’s main plot seems to be boxing, but it goes much deeper than that. Of course, the task seems simple: drive a mysterious girl to Reno, and Stan’s gambling debt is paid. However, nothing can ever be that simple. Car, money and sibling trouble and Lion’s growing protectiveness over Sky stunt their seemingly easy task.
The plot is not the only captivating part of the movie. The character development and mood of the film rise above the plot. The mysterious mood is enhanced by plenty of high stakes moments, allowing the characters to compliment each other in a chaotic yet entertaining way. Stan is very charismatic, but also slightly sleazy, while Lion is quiet and angsty, which is surprising for a boxer. Though they fight a lot, the brotherly relationship between Stan and Lion is one of the most impactful dynamics of the warped boxing story. Sky is the most compelling character. She has lived a very rough life being handed around, but remains strong and witty through it all.
“The dirty setting, loosely wrapped hands, roar of the sketchy crowd, blood spatters and smoky back alleys complete the mood”
The cinematography of the film is stunning. Up-and-coming cinematographer Damián García does an incredible job creating captivating images throughout the film. From early morning boxing sessions in front of a beautiful sunset to bright neon lights in cities along their journey, getting drawn into the film and feeling as if you are there is very easy.
I found the actual boxing matches to be the most interesting. The dirty setting, loosely wrapped hands, roar of the sketchy crowd, blood spatters and smoky back alleys complete the mood of a true underground street fight. The camera placement and choreography of the movements do a fairly good job of making Lion’s punches appear genuine. Unlike some other films where you completely feel like a fight is going on in front of you, though, some of the punches thrown were not realistic at all, leading me to fall out of the on-screen universe at times.
As much as this movie is unique with its ever-changing plotline, it is also somewhat conventional. The theme of two polar opposite brothers, one good and one bad, has been seen time and time again. However, the combination of this theme with threatening gangsters, a difficult road trip, a cunning travel companion and the overall complex plot of boxing does a lot to set this movie apart from others. It does a very respectable job of making a unique, interesting story out of a somewhat overused concept.
When I started this film, I was expecting it to be one dimensional: a simple story of two brothers trying to make their way through the boxing circuit. However, I was pleasantly surprised to delve into the other layers of the movie: family, adventure, risk and reward. It is a story about boxing packed with drama communicated through a road movie.
