FIRST LOOK

Another First Look: Dito Montiel's Fighting with Channing Tatum

by Alex Billington
January 7, 2009

Those of you that recognize Dito Montiel's name should be proud of themselves. Who is he? Dito Montiel is the New York-born filmmaker who made his directorial debut with the autobiographical A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints in 2006. That film went so well that Montiel decided to continue directing and set off to make Fighting, a rough-hewn heroic tale about high-stakes underground street fights starring Channing Tatum and Terrence Howard. We actually ran a first look for this in December of 2007, but Rogue Pictures has sent over two more new photos. This may not be Fight Club, but it might come close.

Small-town boy Shawn MacArthur (Channing Tatum) has come to New York City with nothing. Barely earning a living selling counterfeit goods on the streets, his luck changes when scam artist Harvey Boarden (Terrence Howard) sees that he has a natural talent for streetfighting. When Harvey offers Shawn help at making the real cash, the two form an uneasy partnership.

As Shawn's manager, Harvey introduces him to the corrupt bare-knuckle circuit, where rich men bet on disposable pawns. Almost overnight, he becomes a star brawler, taking down professional boxers, mixed martial arts champs and ultimate fighters in a series of staggeringly intense bouts. But if Shawn ever hopes to escape the dark world in which he's found himself, he must now face the toughest fight of his life.

Fighting is both written and directed by Dito Montiel, of only A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints previously. The script was co-written by Montiel and newcomer Robert Munic, of a few episodes of "The Cleaner" to his name. Rogue Pictures will debut Fighting in theaters on April 24th this year.

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