One of my trusted sources told me it was a good movie so I gave it a shot. I’ve missed a lot of Halle Berry movies and I’m not a fight movie fan (I still haven’t seen Creed 2). Saving myself the normal 15-minute search for a movie, I went to right to ‘Bruised’ and hunkered in. 

On the surface, it was another fight movie that features the women side of that new fighting thing in a cage where they kick, punch, and elbow each other in the head. Halle is the featured older fighter reluctantly staging a come back after a successful career that brought her a cult following but no riches. In fact, her success in the cage seemed to have landed her on hard times. 

For me, the movie had less to do with Halle the boxer, and more to do with Halle navigating through her hard times. In the short span of two hours, you get to ride with Halle as she deals with trying to survive in the depths of poverty, relationship abuse, the confusion of finding love, dysfunctional parenting, dealing with a black boy experiencing childhood trauma, and her struggle learning to trust herself.

Although the story sort of followed the arc of most of these fight movies, it was different seeing it through the eyes of a lady. Most of us can relate to the softer side of femininity, yet this movie juxtaposed her lady instincts against the brutality of the sport she loves and the brutality of the life she can’t seem to escape. 

In the end, if you’re looking for a conclusion determined by a victory or defeat, you may find yourself conflicted like me. In some ways nothing changes with her while at the same time a major change may have taken place right before my eyes. 

The movie is ripe for a sequel. I am really eager to see where Halle takes this character from here. She left me hanging wanting more. Like Rocky and Creed, I suspect Halle Berry will be back if this movie gets any legs with the viewers and critics. 

I guess I like fight movies after all.