Daniel MacPherson delivers a spirited performance in Beast, a sports drama that delivers on its promise as a hard-hitting fight movie albeit one that is a combo short of a knock-out.
Like an unorthodox southpaw, Beast takes on the fight movie from different angles. Every time we fall into a rhythm established beforehand by the likes of Rocky IV or Warrior, the Tyler Atkins directed Beast switches stance and throws a jab. It’s a sound strategy to be sure, but one that misses as much as it hits. There is potential for Beast to be a knock-out of a sports drama, yet more work was needed in the execution of its fight plan to land that decisive blow.
Stepping into the ring is a very dedicated Daniel MacPherson as “The General” Paton Jones, a once feared and respected MMA fighter who under the guidance of his coach Sammy (Russell Crowe) reached the heights of world champion. Ten years later a now ex-con Patton is a dedicated family man struggling to put food on the table; that is until he is challenged by his former nemesis Xavier Grau (Bren Foster) to a grudge match mere days after Xavier brutally dispatched Patton’s cocky younger brother Malon (Mojean Aria) for the world championship.
Written by Crowe and David Frigerio (Land of Bad), Beast is an underdog fight film that puts the time into developing its lead character as more than a fighting machine, with Patton Jones a figure of repressed rage and darkness whose time behind bars saw him become a monster warding off all matter of all wannabe-slayers to the point where there was no more fight left in him when he returned to the real world.
MacPherson portrays Patton with the necessary blend of confliction and guilt to make it all work, not to mention a ridiculously impressive physical performance of strength and athleticism that successfully sells his character’s MMA bona fides.
Excellent too in this regard is burgeoning action hero Bren Foster as the films peroxide haired villain Xavier Grau, a hulking force of martial arts brutality whose finesse moves is fuelled by bitterness and vengeance. Foster shines in all the films’ fight scenes which Atkins presents with a focus on authenticity, intensity, and hard-hitting fight dramatics.
Where Beast often loses its bite is in the films’ supporting characters, the writing and portrayal of which ranges from perplexing to frustrating. The relationship between Patton and his estranged brother Malon feels incredibly off base with the lack of connection between the two underwhelming whatever emotional stakes Atkins was trying to establish. Then there is the emotionally flat performance from Kelly Gale as Patton’s wife Luciana, which again fails to add the dramatics needed to up those stakes. Even Crowe feels subdued in the usually performative trainer/coach role.
It is up to MacPherson to do the dramatic heavy lifting in Beast, and thankfully he has the muscle – dramatic and physical – to pull it off.
