Beautifully lensed and warmly characterized, it's essentially a nonfiction take on The Wrestler.

Full Review | Dec 5, 2018

On the right foot not only in terms of its quality, but in being so efficient stylistically and narratively, it risks seeming a little too good to be true.

Full Review | Nov 1, 2018

Although the lines feel blurred between what's real and what's staged, this intriguing documentary doubles as a compelling blue-collar character study about a middle-aged man at a crossroads.

Full Review | Aug 3, 2018

A stunningly confident and cinematic feature debut...a rare case of truth being more riveting than fiction.

Full Review | Mar 17, 2018

Shot in a raw but well-developed vrit style, the documentary swerves neatly from Carman's high-adrenaline matches to him goofing off with his kids to the dark and violent people in his life (his father, his coach) who influence the choices he makes.

Full Review | Feb 7, 2018

Thanks to the extraordinary access Joe and his family granted to Unay, the pain comes through seemingly unfiltered. The anguish is so raw and the sorrow so intense that the viewer feels like a voyeur.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Feb 7, 2018

Though it may leave audiences with a fair number of questions unanswered, "The Cage Fighter" is engrossing and notably well-packaged within its limitations.

Full Review | Feb 6, 2018

A real-life version of Hollywood boxing-movie tropes.

Full Review | Feb 4, 2018

spare and brutal documentary... an unflinching portrait of a man finding himself in the ring.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Feb 3, 2018

Carman may initially seem like an "average Joe," but both he and this thoughtful film contain multitudes.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Feb 2, 2018

Although it's a documentary, The Cage Fighter teems with characters that are familiar from fictional tales.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Feb 2, 2018

At just 81 minutes, "The Cage Fighter" has been whittled down to its fighting weight, trimmed of every ounce of fat.

Full Review | Feb 1, 2018

"The Cage Fighter" is hardly epic in scope or originality, but it is uncommon to watch this degree of open self-flagellation on screen.

Full Review | Feb 1, 2018

Maddeningly vague, omits pertinent facts and raises more questions than it answers.

Full Review | Jan 31, 2018

The Cage Fighter isn't sentimental about the notion of an aging sports hero who needs one more day in the proverbial sun, recognizing that desire as macho folly.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jan 28, 2018

It's a knockout.

Full Review | Nov 20, 2017

There's nothing particularly groundbreaking about "The Cage Fighter," a competent work of non-fiction filmmaking that doesn't veer in any surprising directions, but it's an impressive consolidation of several cinematic traditions.

Full Review | Original Score: A- | May 8, 2017