Fist Fight

STARRING: Ice Cube, Charlie Day, Tracy Morgan

DIRECTOR: Richie Keen  

Genre: Comedy 

Rating: 15+

91 mins

 

Long after the disbanding of the seminal hip-hop group N.W.A., Ice Cube has carved himself a profitable niche starring in comedies that, surprisingly, have produced more hits than misses.

Over the past two decades, Cube has amassed an impressive filmography with appearances in films like the Barbershop, Jump Street, and the Ride Along series. Cube continues his comedic winning streak in the satisfyingly crude Fist Fight, a film light on plot and character development, but one that still often shines due to its hilarious star-studded cast.

Cube plays frightening and short-tempered high school teacher Strickland, who’s hell-bent on fighting his poor co-worker Andy Campbell (Charlie Day). Strickland challenges Campbell to a classic after-school brawl after Campbell gets Strickland fired over a class incident.

The story takes place in a single day and follows Campbell’s creative and risky attempts to weasel his way out of the fight, which cause some crazy consequences for him. To top it all off, most of the staff is getting fired and students are pulling some harsh pranks on teachers during this last day of school.

While Fist Fight doesn’t have the most exciting premise, as the main focus is just on Strickland and Campbell eventually locking horns, the film’s simple plot allows for a myriad hysterical moments. Campbell finds himself being wrecked by a wild horse all, buying questionable items from a student, and witnessing Strickland threaten students with an axe, and this is all in just the first half of the film. Fist Fight is littered with these types of ridiculous scenarios, which are the result of Campbell’s bad luck and the students’ pranks, and they move it along at a brisk pace.

The fantastic performances from the cast is Fist Fight’s biggest strength. Right out of the gate, Day is a likable protagonist you can’t help but root for. He gets tossed, punched, body-slammed, tackled, and screwed over countless times in various ways, and it’s glorious to watch. Cube is the perfect villain for Day here, and his Strickland character is the complete opposite of Campbell – stern, angry, and even harrowing as he frightens the death out of students and staff alike.

Cube, like Day, has memorable scenes that focus on what Cube does best as a comedic character. His ability to make anyone squeal in an instance and his short temper getting the best of him is hysterical to watch. Campbell has a difficult time teaching Strickland how to work a coffee maker in one of the film’s earlier scenes. Campbell trying his best to explain this simple process while also avoiding offending Strickland is quite funny, and perfectly establishes what to expect from the pair and their tenuous relationship.

With Cube and Day excellently leading the cast, it’s a shame that the supporting cast don’t get the same treatment. The film’s biggest blunder is the handling of these characters, who stick out like a sore thumb. Most of them have a cumulative running time of fewer than 10 minutes, and are mostly included to be the butt of another joke or to pull a silly reactionary face.

Fist Fight also tries to shove in a moral lesson towards the end about the importance of taking care of your high schools and teachers, but it can’t help but feel forced. The film isn’t about telling a coherent and thoughtful story and it’s at its best when it sticks to crude humour. Thankfully, the titular clash between Campbell and Strickland is a well-choreographed and engaging spectacle that lives up to the hype.

Ultimately, the film isn’t here to tell a thoughtful story about the crumbling state of public education in the United States. While there’s little in the way of character development and fleshing out side characters, the film is still a boisterously funny and enjoyable ride that works so well because of its leads.

Showing in: Cineco, Seef II, Wadi Al Sail, Dana, Novo, Mukta

 

Rating: 3/5