
Trainer Marty Goldberg has been stuck working on the fringes of the professional circuit far too long. Searching for a way out, he discovers Tommy, a young man with raw talent to burn. Outside the ring however, Tommy displays a self-destructive streak that could end his career before it begins. Marty works with Tommy to tame that streak.... (Full plot summary below)
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Trainer Marty Goldberg has been stuck working on the fringes of the professional circuit far too long. Searching for a way out, he discovers Tommy, a young man with raw talent to burn. Outside the ring however, Tommy displays a self-destructive streak that could end his career before it begins. Marty works with Tommy to tame that streak.
Leave your thoughts about Fighting Tommy Riley.
| San Francisco ChronicleJoe BrownWorking on a microbudget, director Eddie O'Flaherty coaches solid performances from his small cast and makes the most of the handful of up-close, well-choreographed fight montages. |
| Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasThis small, lovingly crafted film continually surprises with its depth and resonance. |
| L.A. WeeklyJon StricklandDavis, who did some writing for a TV series and acted in a couple of B-thrillers, is notably solid inhabiting Riley's conflicted machismo, supported by Diane Tayler's fine turn as a bottom-rung manager. |
| Filmcritic.comDon WillmottYou may come to Fighting Tommy Riley for the boxing, but you'll find much more to ponder than left jabs and right hooks |
| The New York TimesJanet MaslinDespite its flaws, the film gets across some genuine melancholy, played up by a sobbing Irish fiddle. |
| VarietyRobert KoehlerThe winner by a knockout is Eddie Jones...Without Jones, pic is a standard drama on the sweet science with the usual tropes and a slight tweak on the usual conflicts. |
| The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttMore character study than sports movie, the people in this film come across very much as flesh-and-blood personalities despite the script's tendency to indulge in cliches and let characters deliver highly emotional speeches. |
| New York TimesNed MartelIn Fighting Tommy Riley, another boxing drama is asking audiences to gird themselves for more emotional gut punches. |
| New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanThe sort of slick-looking indie that plays well at film festivals, this heavy-handed boxing drama is really just a flyweight bulked up on cliches and false sentimentality. |
| User ReviewMalcolm WGreat movie! Very moving. Both characters seemed realistic in their reactions to each other. Loved the underlying tension. |