Plot Summary
An epic 12-year journey into the brutal and secretive world of Irish Traveler bare-knuckle fighting. This film follows a history of violent feuding between rival clans.
Movie Reviews from Rotten Tomatoes
TOMATOMETER
95%- Reviews Counted: 40
- Fresh: 38
- Rotten: 2
- Average Rating: 6.6/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Fresh: While it's frustrating that Mr. Palmer doesn't dig deep into the complexities of the fights, one of the movie's strengths is the honesty with which he confesses his doubts about them.
Fresh: As a bruising study in masculine temperament and the ways in which cycles of violence can be controlled and mediated -- yet also perpetuated and inflamed -- in a public arena, pic is unavoidably compelling stuff.
Fresh: Though you will wish for more polish and insight, its unruly action is hard to resist.
Fresh: The fighters hit hard, and so does the movie.
Customer Reviews
don't bother
I like the Irish. They're smart, funny, musical, & gregarious. The Irish are also scrappers --always have been. But I didn't like this documentary.
In parts of Ireland, we find scrapping grifters or "travelers". Cousins who challenge each other to illegal fist fights under the delusions that they're defending family honor. From whom? Each other? Sadly, yes. They are that bored. Oh, and they also come up with piles of cash to bet with. But actually they're stuck in a pathetic self-perpetuating loop that smacked of alcoholic dysfunction to me.
Ian Palmer spent 14 years sporadically working on this. I pity him. I was bored with these folks after an hour.
Not bad
Knuckle is a true blood feud documentary, and despite its somewhat repetitive feel, I found myself really invested in the characters.
Interesting Doc
The movie doesn't really go anywhere, but neither do the cycle of feuds between the traveler clans. Perhaps that is the point. This is a study of the futility of violence. The lead subject, James Quinn McDonagh was a fascinating and charismatic character and the shaky doc footage felt like I was getting a peek into a secret world I wasn't supposed to see.
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