''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 (largely styled after Conor McGregor) 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 ( Stephen Dorff) 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

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, his eldest son Jett (

Darren Mann Darren Mann (born 1989) is a Canadian actor. He portrayed Ballas Kohl in the 2018 film '' Giant Little Ones''. He also portrayed Jett in the 2020 film ''Embattled''. His performance in the former film won him a Leo Award. On television, he po ...

) becomes the caregiver to his younger brother Quinn (Colin McKenna) and decides to be an MMA fighter as well. Father and son will soon find themselves battling each other in the cage.

Cast

* Stephen Dorff as Cash "The Slayer" Boykins *

as Jett Boykins ** David Alexander Kaplan as Young Jett Boykins * Karrueche Tran as Jade Boykins * Colin McKenna as Quinn Boykins * Jakari Fraser as Kingston Boykins * Donald Faison as Mr. Dan Stewart * Saïd Taghmaoui as Claude Yaurek * Elizabeth Reaser as Susan Boykins *

Drew Starkey Drew Starkey is an American actor. He portrays Garrett Laughlin in the Simonverse films ''Love, Simon ''and ''The Hate U Give'', Rafe Cameron in the Netflix teen drama series ''Outer Banks'' and Hawkins in the VH1 series '' Scream: Resurrection ...

as Tanner Van Holt * Ethan Melisano as Timofei "The Terrible" Kozlov * Brian Walters as Christian Kim * Leopold Manswell as Kareef Hardicke * Brian Oerly as Jamie Ghould * Chip Carriere as Earl Hardy * Adam Karst as Rami Elbahri * Mark Fite as David Adelsberg * Michael Wayne Foster as Richie Simmonsma * Oliver Trevena as Syd Man * Donald Cerrone as Jack "Autograph Jack" * Kasandra Bandfield as Alice Yaurek * Mimi Davila as Patty Martinez * Marie Burke as Amber Jefferson * Sienna Novikov as Emma Levesque * Ava Capri as Keaton Carmichael * Lindsey Garrett as Ms. Malek * Marcus Bailey as Daryl * Kevin Ianucci as Patrick * Drew Scheid as Brian * Benjamin M. Pelham as Jerry * Demorian Treyse Lizana as Jamar * Charline St. Charles as Leticia * Mina Ownlee as Gladys * Kenny Florian as Himself * Tyron Woodley as Himself

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 8 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."

References

External links

* * *
Embattled
' on IFC Films' website {{DEFAULTSORT:Embattled 2020 films 2020 martial arts films 2020s sports drama films American sports drama films Films about dysfunctional families Films shot in Alabama Mixed martial arts films 2020s English-language films 2020s American films