Rigged (2008)

Wonderful character development!

An Exercise In Nonsense

Absolutely brilliant

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

The production values are much better than most low-budget films. The performance by Rebecca Neuenswander is great (especially considering this was her 1st & only film). Chad Ortiz is okay, but not special.The disappointment comes in the fight scenes. The filmmakers clearly were afraid to show the character of Karen (Neuenswander) be on the receiving end of many punches. I don't want to seem like I enjoy women getting hurt (I absolutely don't!), but if Karen's character is going to suffer a black eye & other fight results - the film should not be afraid to show her receiving punches. This was especially true to the "fixed" fight scene when Karen is badly beaten. If the film wants to be "gritty" and "realistic" then it ought to be honest enough to show the character of Karen take the beating.

Well, it was better than I thought it was going to be...A seedy promoter tries to profiteer off a female boxer. This is a bit like the reverse Million Dollar Baby... Instead of Hilary Swank being encouraged by Clint Eastwood to be the best she could be and win the World Title, here we see Rebecca Neuenswander (I ain't typing THAT again) and Chad Ortis are only in it for the money, by participating in illegal fights. MDB was also realistic in that it only pitted Swank against female opponents she had a chance of beating. Here, the female pugilist regularly downs men that must be three times her size without that much effort. True, she does receive a few bumps and bruises, but check out how quickly they heal. Talk about scrubbing up well.And of course, there are corrupt managers who would try anything to make more dough, including bribery, threats and physical violence. You also don't need a crystal ball to anticipate what'll happen to our two leads and that their initial plans near the end are all just one big red herring. In fact, the entire story could be taught in Screen writing Classes 101 about how to put together a serviceable plot with no surprises or twists, lest unimaginative members of the audience have a heart attack. Does this make it a bad film? No... it passes the time, and Rebecca N can genuinely be described as a 'discovery'. Just don't expect anything more than 'mediocre'. 5/10

I'm not even sure how to pronounce her name, but I will never forget the actress Rebecca Neuenswander in this movie. And I use the word "actress" instead of "martial artist," which apparently she is, because she is absolutely radiant in this movie.She has a scene late in the movie where she's in a hospital bed. Her face is a mass of bruises, one eye is swollen shut, her lips are split, etc. Her manager comes to her side and she can barely talk, but says, "Want to hear something funny?" She then tells a story about how her parents kicked her out of the house at age 15 when they discovered she was gay that is absolutely heart breaking. Neuenswander doesn't milk it for sobs, but tells the story with a little smile on her face. She's a fighter, all right.Tough as nails on the outside, tender on the inside. That's Katherine Parker, the role Neuenswander plays. The plot itself is a "Rocky" rehash that is clunky and improbable. There's an over-the-top plot device involving a crowbar. The ending is corny and pat.Nevermind. See this moving to watch an stunning performance by a young actress. Neuenswander has made no other movie except this. Maybe she has other fish to fry. At least we have "Fight Night."Neuenswander would be perfect to play Lisbeth Salander in the American remake of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." But that role will undoubtedly be one of the most sought-after by young actresses in recent Hollywood history.

When you sit down to watch this movie you know your taking a risk, your gut tells you there's so much that could go wrong with this film even before you start watching.The plot is essentially the traditional boxing story with a twist, the underdog in this case Katherine Parker who is played by first time actor Rebecca Neuenswander whom similar to her on screen persona has the odds stacked against her here as she attempts to convince us that the good looking girl can punch above her weight. The film starts out on shaky ground you feel it just wants to get its prize fighter on screen as soon as possible but this is justified as Neuenswander puts in a performance that defies her c.v. and shows flash's in her work that with the right direction could see her going on to bigger projects. Guiding Katherine Parker through the seedy underworld of illegal boxing is her fast talking manager Michael Dublin played by Chad Ortis, Dublin as he is commonly referred to is portrayed in a convincing performance as desperate and morally bankrupt individual with underlying currents of self loathing about the man he is and fear about the man he might become. The action scenes come thick and fast as Parkers rise to notoriety gathers momentum. It is in these scenes the obvious physical limitations of Neuenswander's character facing her sizable opponents might raise the first doubt you have about her ability to beat her burley opposition but upon reflection i guess thats what an underdog does, he or she defies the odds to succeed and is a good metaphor for what this film is, it defies the odds and surprises you, it makes you think not to be a movie snob and avoid something just because you don't know the actors because sometimes taking a risk pays off.