Last week, Level Film released the boxing film A Fighting Man on DVD.  The Canadian production follows Sailor O’Connor (Dominic Purcell), a washed up boxer with a tragic past and a mother (Sheila McCarthy) who is dying of cancer.  Despite the trepidation of his manager (James Caan) and kind priest (Kim Coates), O’Connor steps back into the ring for one last time to fight the young King Solomon (Izaak Smith), who needs the money to support his pregnant wife (Jenessa Grant).

The leading performances are mostly serviceable and the boxing scenes are appropriately gritty, but the multiple characters and subplots feel disjointed, working in far too many clichéd issues over the slight running time.  Although this is clearly a well intentioned melodrama that could find an audience on DVD, A Fighting Man unfortunately fails to inspire.

The DVD includes no bonus features, save for the trailer.

A Fighting Man is 88 minutes and rated 14A.

-John Corrado