Billy Corben's Dawg Fight takes place in West Perrine, Florida, a suburban ghetto of Miami where over two-thirds of the population is African-American and more than one third are unemployed. This is a town where violent crimes are committed on a daily basis, with most men ending up either dead or in prison by their 30th birthday. Thanks to one man , Dhafir "Dada 5000" Harris, there is some semblance of hope, as the ex-bodyguard of Kimbo Slice has built a ring in his mother's backyard, where he holds illegal backyard fights. There are no gloves, no referees, only two men in a 12x12 ring, fighting for supremacy. On the surface, Billy Corben's Dawg Fight is a film about the barbaric nature of machoism, opening up to a scene of brutal violence as two men brutally fight in a ring - a sequence that resembles two feral animals who have reverted to their wild state. This of course would be simplistic diagnosis of a fascinating film in Dawg Fight, that challenges the viewer to look past the surface and discover the true reason why these individuals set foot in the ring. To outsiders these street fights may seem like pointless barbarism, but the truth of the matter is that the ring gives individuals a place where they can centralize their aggression, solving arguments via fists as opposed to more deadly ways such as gun violence. Many of the men in these fights view the ring as a way to feed their families, as they attempt to fight their way out of the ghetto and into the professional MMA scene. Dawg Fight never apologizes for the brutality that is displayed in the ring, but it does attempt to understand where these men are coming from, never judging individuals who come from a world far more harsh and unforgiving than most of us could ever understand. While the social aspect of the film is the most important and powerful part of Dawg Fight, the film takes on an underdog story of its own in capturing Dhafir "Dada 5000" Harris' return to the ring. Being discovered by professional scouts, the final act of the film follows Harris as he gets his shot turning pro. He trains with professional MMA trainers leading up to his debut fight at the Hard Rock Cafe & Casino, a fight that plays out in front of the viewer in a way that feels more riveting and nerve-racking than any fight, fictional or not, that I've ever seen on celluloid. It isn't because of the quality of the fight or the idea of two mammoth men pitted up against each other that makes it riveting, but the simple acknowledgement that Dhafir "Dada 5000" Harris isn't fighting just for himself, but a better life for his family.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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