I put off watching this because the plot felt underwhelming but if you're a fan of cinema this film was beautifully shot and directed.

Really great cast and characters as well. Loved the pacing of this film.

I'm not sure how Jungleland managed to go under the radar when it was released a couple of years ago . Perhaps it's because there has been a surge of fighting films in recent years but I'd say that this is a cut above most .

When a devastating loss in the ring leaves Lion and his manager/brother Stan in debt to a local crime boss, they are forced to risk it all in a bare-knuckle boxing tournament as the pair fight for a better life.

I'm not a fan of Charlie Hunnam . Most of his appearances involve a terrible accent or over the top acting . Not this time . Thankfully he just uses his Sons Of Anarchy' voice and he's actually very good as Stan but the stand out performance unsurprisingly is from Jack O'Connell . This is a film where two British actors are absolutely nailing it.

It's a story about family and chasing the dream . One wants to get rich by winning fights the other just wants to settle down and open a laundromat. Sadly the one who wants to win fights isn't the fighter !

I really liked this . It's a bit of a slow burner at times but I was quite happy with that and the ending where they use the Bruce Springsteen song " Dream Baby Dream " is very moving .

Brothers Stanley (Charlie Hunnam) and Walter 'Lion' Kaminski (Jack O'Connell) struggle to survive by breaking into homes and buildings in the northeast. Lion does underground bare knuckle boxing after a failed boxing career. Stanley gets into money trouble with Pepper who coerces the brothers to transport Sky (Jessica Barden) to scary Yates in Reno on their way to a big Jungleland fight in San Francisco.

I mostly like this movie and these characters except they keep doing stupid stuff. I don't actually buy Pepper handing Sky over to the brothers. If Yates is as scary as that, Pepper would still be held responsible. It's much safer to do it himself although it could be considered human trafficking. I don't think Sky is a minor so that's a plus. Handing her over to the brothers is asking for trouble. As for the brothers, they are not asking enough questions. Their fight is like arguing about the deckchairs while the Titanic is sinking. It's a bit besides the point. These characters don't make sense. The last act is full of questionable dumb things being done by the brothers which can only be excused by them being frustratingly dumb. It's frustrating to watch character that you root for doing dumb stuff. Otherwise, these are good actors doing compelling characters.