Rigged (2008) User Reviews

Much much better than I expected

[johndeckbose · 7/10 · 3 January 2010]

Though the film is currently known as Fight Night, I definitely prefer the original title, Rigged. And while Rigged has many problems -- mostly in the storyline and a lot of the secondary acting -- it is well worth watching just to see Rebecca Neuenswander. She is a find. Not only is she gorgeous, and not only is she a terrific actress, with expressive eyes that light up the screen, but she can fight. I have always been a stickler about sports being portrayed authentically on the screen, and I was happily surprised by Rebecca's fighting skills.

Rigged won't blow you away, and it may not last in your memory too long, but I don't think I'll forget about Rebecca Neuenswander for quite for some time. I am sad that Rigged is apparently her only film, but maybe she'll do more in the future. A director would be lucky to get her.

Could (and Should) Have Been Much Better

[mdrummond-76381 · 5/10 · 27 November 2017]

The production values are much better than most low-budget films. The performance by Rebecca Neuenswander is great (especially considering this was her 1st & only film). Chad Ortiz is okay, but not special.

The disappointment comes in the fight scenes. The filmmakers clearly were afraid to show the character of Karen (Neuenswander) be on the receiving end of many punches. I don't want to seem like I enjoy women getting hurt (I absolutely don't!), but if Karen's character is going to suffer a black eye & other fight results - the film should not be afraid to show her receiving punches. This was especially true to the "fixed" fight scene when Karen is badly beaten. If the film wants to be "gritty" and "realistic" then it ought to be honest enough to show the character of Karen take the beating.

ROCKY VS. KARATE KID

[nogodnomasters · 5/10 · 29 April 2019]

Chad Ortis played Michael Dublin, an unlikable cocky Tom Cruise wanna-be. He is a hustler and illegal fight promoter or fight rigger. He happens on Katherine Parker (Rebecca Neuenswander), a woman who can beat any man in the ring. She reluctantly teams up with Dublin as they travel cross country. As it so happens he is not the best or brightest. His character remains unlikeable as we pity the poor girl who is stuck with him. In Florida both their pasts catch up with them as they go into the final climax match.

What I thought was odd is that they went to great lengths to make Kathrine Parker look like she has been ugly beaten in the face, while she had a full set of straight white teeth. Dublin healed rather quickly from his beatings, apparently because they were using all the black and blue make-up on Katherine. The movie starts out with a first person narration by Dublin in a seedy motel room, then flashes back a month to start the movie. What I don't recall is that at no point did they return to that scene. That is proper movie etiquette.

Brief nudity.

Not bad but not good

[refdan · 4/10 · 12 September 2008]

This independent low budget drama gets good ratings for the characterization and plot. Even though it is a typical boxing movie cliché, there are enough twists to make it seem somewhat fresh and original.

The story follows the adventurers of Dublin, a crooked boxing promoter who travels from town to town setting up underground fights and sometimes trying to fix them. He meets a female fighter, Katharine, who appears to be homeless but who can fight and defeat men twice her size. The two eventually team up, but Dublin's somewhat sleazy past catches up with them, causing conflict, pain, and emotional distress for both.

I enjoy all types of fighting (the real kind) and consequently, I find myself being somewhat critical of film fight scenes, particularly when they involve obvious mismatches. The notion of a 135 lb woman fighting bare-knuckle with much larger, ostensibly experienced fighters and winning by KO consistently is just too much for me to willingly suspend my disbelief. The fight scenes are poorly shot, primarily because there are no stunt people and the principal actors do their own "fighting." The fight theme and fight scenes are central to the film and they are just not well done. I realize that corners have to be cut somewhere in a limited budget film, but this was not the right place to do so.

The ending was just too sappy for me and I was disappointed that the writer couldn't avoid the Hollywood style happiness and give us a real surprise for a change.

If you enjoy the "Underdog overcomes all obstacles" type movie, then you may like this film, but I have to say I wasn't all that impressed.

The hardest illegal activity this side of the Bush administration.

[lastliberal · 6/10 · 19 September 2010]

Going in, you have to realize that this is a Freshman effort.

The is the only full length film for director, producer, and editor Jonathan Dillon.

It is the first film for writer Ian Shorr, and it is the only film for the star Rebecca Neuenswander (a fighter in real life).

Chad Ortis, who plays the con man who finds Katherine (Neuenswander), has only an episode of The Bold and the Beautiful under his belt.

A bunch of inexperienced actors in a low budget film doesn't always spell disaster. Despite the fact that the movie is filled with clichés, it keeps your interest, even though you know you will guess the ending.

an awful 10 cent version of "HARD TIMES."

[Max_Meanie · 2/10 · 27 April 2010]

Whoever is posting these positive reviews must be involved with the production. I couldn't take more than 34 minutes of this mediocre underground fight film. The premise seemed interesting on the box & I could suspend my disbelief of a small female fighter winning against bigger guys due to the rules they set up in the film. But boring actors, sub-par TV-style docu directing and truly awful dialog made me stop the film. I'll give any indie film a chance without a budget because you have to put thought into the script and talent behind the camera. They have to be smart but FIGHT NIGHT is regurgitated hack material.

The moment that made me turn it off was when they were escaping from Speedy who is trying to shoot them. He's standing 5 feet away from the car and he shoots the hood. NOT THE WINDSHIELD, THE HOOD. Something small yes but indicative of the film as a whole - no thinking at all. Christ! And that was the directing. The scriptwriting is worse! I agree that the only good think about it is the actress but the film didn't interest me to stick around longer than 34 minutes.

I implore anyone interested in this type of film to see the incredible "HARD TIMES" with Charles Bronson as the underground fighter and James Coburn as the sleazy promoter. Set in depression era New Orleans, it's a lot of fun. The scene with Speedy is almost stolen directly from that film except Bronson takes the gun away from them.

Above-Average Bare-Knuckles Boxing Film

[zardoz-13 · 7/10 · 5 February 2010]

Sophomore helmer Jonathan Dillion and scenarist Ian Shorr have made an above-average underground fight epic that suffers only from its scrape the bottom-of-the-barrel-budget and its thoroughly predictable plot. You will have a pretty fair idea what is going to happen throughout the 100 or so minutes. Twenty-eight year old Michael Dublin (Chad Ortis of "The Hollywood Informant") is a small potatoes hustler who makes his living off illegal bare-knuckles boxing matches and street racing. Dillion gives us a thumbnail sketch of this down-and-out soul who has his good days and his bad days. Michael is experiencing a really bad day when Katherine Parker (first-time actress Rebecca Neuenswander) intervenes to keep a big tough, muscle-bound bruiser from pummeling our poor hero into pulp. She drops the incredulous big guy with a couple of blows,and Dublin is suitably impressed, enough so to recruit her for his pugilistic talent. They travel the seedy circuit of underground prize-fighting arenas and encounter the usual corrupt types.

Inevitably, the time comes when Dublin wants Katherine to throw a fight and she is oppposed to the idea. Name virtually any boxing movie and you will find the dive proposition scene. "Fight Night" is neither as good as either "Million Dollar Baby" or the Channing Tatum fisticuffs movie "Fighting," because there are no surprises in the Shorr screenplay. Quite frankly, things seem far-fetched when this slightly built babe can deck guys three times were size. Shorr must have been channeling the David and Goliath story from the Bible when he penned this screenplay. The chief villain, Clark Richter (Kurt Hanover of "The Fluff"), makes things tough for our hero and heroine. The final fight is pretty good. Neuenswander has the looks and all the right moves, but her dialogue delivery is at times leaden. Meanwhile, Ortis resembles a young Tom Cruise. Dublin and Katherine tear into each other throughout the action in what eventually boils down to an opposite-only attraction romance. Yes, "Fight Night" concludes with a straight-sexually oriented happy ending.

what's the point,if its Unbelievable?

[sondisbpt · 1/10 · 1 June 2011]

I refuse to believe,that a 135 lbs woman can beat a 325 lbs man(not just any man but a underground fighter)and win every single fight? How about this one,i would think,that as much as these heavy handed men weigh,if they were to land one punch,not 2 or 3 but ONE punch to her pretty little chin,she would be in coma for months! I mean ,it would have been a lot better if the girl was husky and had mass and was built but she was a scrawny skinny thing!

I mean ,it would have been a lot better if the girl was husky and had mass and was built but she was a scrawny skinny thing! Next time,make a movie more realistic

Its all about the girl

[dbborroughs · 6/10 · 28 April 2009]

Boxing promoter in the underground fight game runs across a young woman with the power and ability to take out men twice her size. Hooking up they begin to make inroads into the fight game until the past and emotions begin to spin everything sideways. This fight drama is an okay little film. Its flashy low budget and independent attempts to spice things up (there are distracting titles as to places and times-how many times is it New Years Eve?) never really amount to very much. This is a run of the mill little film who?s dreams out distance its reach.

Normally I?d stop there and say that its worth seeing if you run across it but you didn't have to search it out. This time however I'm going to do something different and say that if you want to see a really good performance and what is sure to be an early performance by someone who is sure to be a big actress see this film. Rebecca Neuenswander who plays Katherine Parker, the fighter, is amazing. She gives a performance that is assured and radiant (even when she?s getting punched in the face). She is haunting in away that few actresses are. In all honesty I was ready to give up on this film early on but then there was this small young girl beating the snot out of this much bigger guy in an alley and I was hooked. Talk about making an entrance. Amazing. She has a fantastic screen presence something very few actresses, even established ones have. If she is can continue to get interesting roles and hopefully something that will get her noticed I think she?ll be huge. Then again if she can be arresting with this mediocre script odds are she?ll be able to make her own luck. She is an actress to watch. See this for Rebecca so that in five years you can say you saw her when...

It is what it is

[rangerbagel · 3/10 · 16 December 2011]

Bad acting, tight fighting scenes, hot brutal lesbian, fake Tom Cruise. What more could you want in a cheap boxing movie?

I sat here at work just now and watched this on Netflix. It doesn't throw any curve balls, but then it isn't a baseball movie.

So, what, right hook? There's some stuttering redneck who can't shoot, a big bearded bald guy who's shaped like a T, and a lot of burnt-sienna makeup to lay out those deep, dark bruises.

There's some slapped-together depth to these characters that's kind of haphazard because I don't see these characters really talking about themselves much. But, really, the style to me is very cultish. If it were less bloody, I suspect a lot of giggling fabulistas would flock to it at midnight with tape around their knuckles.

I dig. It's bad. But I dig.

A pleasant surprise - 7.5 stars

[Lucretius660 · 8/10 · 30 September 2008]

There are several things to like about this movie, but I will place the bulk of my praise where it belongs: Rebecca Neuenswander. Without her, I doubt the movie would have been nearly as good. I read that Rebecca is a martial artist, and I believe it. You see in the movie that she is athletic; she moves like a fighter. Not only that, she is a fine actress as well. Exactly the qualities needed for the role of Katherine (and hence the movie). If Rebecca wants it, she has a career waiting for her as an action star.

This is an enjoyable picture, much more than I expected going in. The fight scenes are good, only slightly uneven in places. Story, character development, fine acting, they are all there. For a low-budget film trying to do something a little different, I think it turned out well. Definitely worth seeing.

Fight Night

[disdressed12 · 7/10 · 23 May 2010]

i liked this movie.i found it fresh and original.i haven't seen many movies of this genre where a woman is a strong character not mention the main character.i know there are a few other movie out there similar but i haven't seen them,so form my perspective this movie isn't a knockoff at least form that aspect.others would probably degree.the fighting scenes were decent,not spectacular.but that doesn't matter here.it's really the acting here,the moments between Katherine(Rebecca Neuenswander)and Michael Dublin(Chad Ortis).both Neuenswander and Ortis take two fairly unsympathetic characters and make us like them.incidentally Ortis bears a strong resemblance to Peter Sarsgaard.anyway...for me,Rigged is a 7/10

Not quite a 'knockout', but a worthy showing...

[natashabowiepinky · 5/10 · 11 February 2014]

Well, it was better than I thought it was going to be...

A seedy promoter tries to profiteer off a female boxer. This is a bit like the reverse Million Dollar Baby... Instead of Hilary Swank being encouraged by Clint Eastwood to be the best she could be and win the World Title, here we see Rebecca Neuenswander (I ain't typing THAT again) and Chad Ortis are only in it for the money, by participating in illegal fights. MDB was also realistic in that it only pitted Swank against female opponents she had a chance of beating. Here, the female pugilist regularly downs men that must be three times her size without that much effort. True, she does receive a few bumps and bruises, but check out how quickly they heal. Talk about scrubbing up well.

And of course, there are corrupt managers who would try anything to make more dough, including bribery, threats and physical violence. You also don't need a crystal ball to anticipate what'll happen to our two leads and that their initial plans near the end are all just one big red herring. In fact, the entire story could be taught in Screen writing Classes 101 about how to put together a serviceable plot with no surprises or twists, lest unimaginative members of the audience have a heart attack. Does this make it a bad film? No... it passes the time, and Rebecca N can genuinely be described as a 'discovery'. Just don't expect anything more than 'mediocre'. 5/10

A risk worth taking

[frogsupmyarse · 7/10 · 30 April 2009]

When you sit down to watch this movie you know your taking a risk, your gut tells you there's so much that could go wrong with this film even before you start watching.

The plot is essentially the traditional boxing story with a twist, the underdog in this case Katherine Parker who is played by first time actor Rebecca Neuenswander whom similar to her on screen persona has the odds stacked against her here as she attempts to convince us that the good looking girl can punch above her weight. The film starts out on shaky ground you feel it just wants to get its prize fighter on screen as soon as possible but this is justified as Neuenswander puts in a performance that defies her c.v. and shows flash's in her work that with the right direction could see her going on to bigger projects. Guiding Katherine Parker through the seedy underworld of illegal boxing is her fast talking manager Michael Dublin played by Chad Ortis, Dublin as he is commonly referred to is portrayed in a convincing performance as desperate and morally bankrupt individual with underlying currents of self loathing about the man he is and fear about the man he might become.

The action scenes come thick and fast as Parkers rise to notoriety gathers momentum. It is in these scenes the obvious physical limitations of Neuenswander's character facing her sizable opponents might raise the first doubt you have about her ability to beat her burley opposition but upon reflection i guess thats what an underdog does, he or she defies the odds to succeed and is a good metaphor for what this film is, it defies the odds and surprises you, it makes you think not to be a movie snob and avoid something just because you don't know the actors because sometimes taking a risk pays off.

You're going to remember Rebecca Neuenswander

[dave-sturm · 8/10 · 7 February 2010]

I'm not even sure how to pronounce her name, but I will never forget the actress Rebecca Neuenswander in this movie. And I use the word "actress" instead of "martial artist," which apparently she is, because she is absolutely radiant in this movie.

She has a scene late in the movie where she's in a hospital bed. Her face is a mass of bruises, one eye is swollen shut, her lips are split, etc. Her manager comes to her side and she can barely talk, but says, "Want to hear something funny?" She then tells a story about how her parents kicked her out of the house at age 15 when they discovered she was gay that is absolutely heart breaking. Neuenswander doesn't milk it for sobs, but tells the story with a little smile on her face. She's a fighter, all right.

Tough as nails on the outside, tender on the inside. That's Katherine Parker, the role Neuenswander plays. The plot itself is a "Rocky" rehash that is clunky and improbable. There's an over-the-top plot device involving a crowbar. The ending is corny and pat.

Nevermind. See this moving to watch an stunning performance by a young actress. Neuenswander has made no other movie except this. Maybe she has other fish to fry. At least we have "Fight Night."

Neuenswander would be perfect to play Lisbeth Salander in the American remake of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." But that role will undoubtedly be one of the most sought-after by young actresses in recent Hollywood history.

call it "Female Rocky"

[rock_cool · 8/10 · 26 April 2009]

Definitely better than 5.5 it has got now. definitely not among the finest action / sports movies ever made, but in summary i called it "Female Rocky" well watch it and decide whether i am wrong or not.

It has got all a catchy story, whole lot of drama and pretty good action sequences but above all it has got good acting performances and screenplay which is definitely missing in recent action movies. performance of Chad Ortis and Rebecca Neuenswander is mind blowing and it is the face expressions that made it that good.

Also hats off to Jonathan Dillon the director for completely capturing the situations perfectly and to Ian Shorr the writer for adding situational drama in the movie, it ended as an romantic movie after being a complete action drama but still no points should be deducted for that as it made the end feel good.

summary of all above mentioned points it is 8/10 movie and one should not miss it. definitely watchable once or more

Worth watching definitely!

[ghostlander · 8/10 · 15 November 2008]

The story line of this film is about underground boxing. Rebecca Neuenswander acts as a Katherine Parker, a young but promising fighter. Another key character is Michael Dublin (Chad Ortis), a young but experienced promoter. Not a hard guess that this couple has to get through this film in some interesting way.

All right, let me tell you what you won't see in this low budget project. There are no outstanding special effects, no expensive decorations, no catching breath stunts. At the same time, keep in mind that this film isn't just about fights for money, though Rebecca has done an excellent action job while standing against and knocking out numerous tough guys (a matter of taste and fighting experience whether you buy this or not, but I wouldn't say it's impossible totally). First of all, this film is about real life, real relationships and that bitter feeling when you've got nothing to lose, really nothing...

An great emotionally triggering story.

[henrytarheel · 8/10 · 14 December 2010]

I was fortunate enough to stumble upon Fight Night or "Rigged" as I was going through the movie channels reading different summaries of all the movies coming on that night. I'm interested in drama and crime movies and this was perfect. A great story of two lost souls that find each other and team together and as the movie goes on, you find the true in depth characters they both are. Chad Ortis plays the role of an underground hustler who tries to run illegal sporting events where he always tries to fix the outcome. Rebecca Neuenswander is one of plays one of the best roles I have seen played in a few years. She is an incredible fighter who goes around and easily defeats all of her opponents in this underground fight circuit. Ortis is obviously pleased with the outcome due to her being a huge underdog in every fight. One great aspect of the movie is the mood Director Jonathan Dillon adds. It is quite a dark mood with great "Friday Night Lights" type music playing throughout the movie which contributes to the viewers emotional attachment to the the movie especially, but also the Ortis and Neunswander. Another great aspect of this movie was it seems as the movies comes to close to a close that it is a predictable ending. That is not at all the case in this film. The ending is without a doubt fabulous. If you are looking for a great movie with an incredible story of greed, love, and dreams, I highly suggest watching this film.

Real dirty fight flick.

[michaelRokeefe · 8/10 · 18 April 2009]

MILLION DOLLAR BABY is a pantywaist compared to RIGGED. As good as that acclaimed movie is, RIGGED is just as real and powerful as FIGHT CLUB. And Rebecca Neuenswander is a knockout. FIGHT NIGHT is about the underground boxing circuit...from Dalhart, Texas to Tulsa, Oklahoma and Kansas City, Missouri to Miami, Florida. Michael Dublin(Chad Ortis)is a full-time con man, a product of the circuit traveling from town to town with one scam to another. You have to get in line to get a piece of him...enemies outnumber his friends. Dublin comes across the best scam of his career when he meets Katherine Parker(Neuenswander), a female bare-knuckled fighter that possess more skills than any man twice her size. Dublin and Katherine hit the road with what he calls 'fight-rigging, in-reverse'. Every abandoned warehouse, country fair and seedy basement bar seems more and more like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Dublin's extra shady past was meant to catch up with him as the stakes get higher and danger is just a left jab away. Even the relationship between Katherine and 'Dub' travels to an unexpected place.

Brutal violence and strong language star equally in this hard punching drama. Others in the cast: Kurt Hanover, David Alan Graf, DeeDee Arps and John Wilson.

Amazing film, much better than some of the reviews i have read.

[iamjkhoughton · 8/10 · 7 April 2016]

MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. Rebecca Neuenswander, one to watch in future kick-ass movies. Would love to see a follow up co-starring Rebecca & Michelle Rodriguez. Underworld female Rocky with BALLS is the best way to describe this film. The fight scenes throughout were watchable without an over use of blood and bone crunching sound effects. Final fight realistic enough to make me watch again. Only bad thing is they could have delved further into Kat's past history. It is about time they made a film to rival all these macho men action stars with a great female lead and Rebecca is certainly that actress. I gave it 8/10 but it is closer to 9/10. Don't take my word, don't care just WATCH IT.