''Knuckle City'' is a 2019 South African
crime
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...
sports
Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...
film
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
written and directed by
Jahmil X.T. Qubeka. It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the
2019 Toronto International Film Festival
The 44th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 5 to 15 September 2019. The opening gala was the documentary film '' Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band'', directed by Daniel Roher, and the festival closed with a ...
. It was selected as the South African entry for the
Best International Feature Film at the
92nd Academy Awards
The 92nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 2019 and took place on February 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, beginning at 5:00 ...
, but was ultimately not nominated.
Cast
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Bongile Mantsai as Dudu Nyakama
*
Sivuyile Ngesi as Goatee
*
Nomhle Nkonyeni
Nomhle Nkonyeni (9 April 1942 – 10 July 2019) was a South African actress who has appeared in television series such as ''Mzansi'', ''Tsha Tsha'' and the 2007 mini-series ''Society'', as well as feature films such as ''Of Good Report'' (2013). ...
as Ma Bokwana
* Patrick Ndlovu as Bra Pat
Reception
Critical response
On
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, it has a perfect
approval rating of based on reviews and an average rating of .
Film critic
Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. In general, film criticism can be divided into two categories: journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, magazines and other popular mass-media outlets ...
Anne T. Donahue of
''Globe and Mail'' gave the film 3 and half stars out of four, saying, "It is a movie that’s as defined by what one’s heart can endure as much as it is by its mesmerizing
sport
Sport pertains to any form of Competition, competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and Skill, skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to specta ...
, its
acting
Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode.
Acting involves a broad r ...
and how long it will stay with you. ''Knuckle City'' cannot be overlooked." Courtney Small of ''In The Seats'' gave it a 4/5 stars and praised the fresh take on
traditional genre tropes, saying "Bathed in a sea of
poverty
Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...
and
corruption
Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...
, ''Knuckle City'' challenges traditional notions of
masculinity
Masculinity (also called manhood or manliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles associated with men and boys. Masculinity can be theoretically understood as socially constructed, and there is also evidence that some behaviors con ...
to expose how toxic and destructive it is. Spreading like a virus, the sins that the brothers’ inherited from their father are part of a greater systemic problem impacting the township of
Mdantsane
Mdantsane is a South African urban township situated 15 km away from East London and 37 km away from Qonce in the Eastern Cape. It is the second largest township in the Eastern Cape after Ibhayi near Port Elizabeth and seventeenth large ...
. Unflinchingly gritty, ''Knuckle City'' brings a fresh South African take on traditional genre tropes. Engulfed in beautiful
cinematography
Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography.
Cinematographers use a lens to focu ...
that is both sweeping and intimate, Qubeka shows that actions to uplift family, and not endanger them, is what real
man
A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromos ...
hood is all about." In 2020 MoJo Global Arts brokered a deal with
Showtime (TV network)
Showtime is an American pay television, premium television television network, network owned by Paramount Media Networks, and is the flagship property of the namesake parent company, Showtime Networks, a part of Paramount Media Networks. Showtime ...
to air ''Knuckle City'' on Showtime.
Accolades
''Knuckle City'' took home five awards at the 2020 South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) including Best Actor in a Feature Film, Best Supporting Actor in a Feature Film, Best Achievement in Directing in a Feature Film, Best Achievement in Production Design in a Feature Film and Best Achievement in Make-Up and Hairstyling in a Feature Film.
See also
*
List of boxing films
This is a list of films about boxing, featuring notable sports films where boxing plays a central role in the development of the plot.
The Patent Leather Kid
1927
A self-centered boxer learns the meaning of patriotism on the battlefield durin ...
*
*
*
Cinema of South Africa
The cinema of South Africa refers to the films and film industry of the nation of South Africa. Many foreign films have been produced about South Africa (usually involving race relations).
The first South African film to achieve international ...
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Knuckle City
2019 films
2019 crime films
2010s sports films
South African crime films
Xhosa-language films
2010s American films
Hood films
Boxing films