"You need to lose tonight."
That's the directive 2-0 boxer Toni Gale (Ciara Berkeley) receives as she counts down the minutes to her ring walk in this Irish indie that ducks and weaves on a tiny budget of €120,000 to tell its story.
Skullduggery and verbals abound in Swing Bout as everyone works some angle in a bid to stay one step ahead. If you've savoured old-school treats like Body and Soul and The Set-Up, seen the Michelle Rodriguez-starring Girlfight, and know the iconic Rocky off by heart, you'll get something out of this film. But a word as you limber up: all the action takes place in the dressing rooms and offices (Páirc Uí Chaoimh, getting its close-up) behind the scenes.
Ciara Berkeley makes for a compelling, taciturn hero and writer-director-editor Maurice O'Carroll never lets the pace drop as the walls close in on her and the rest of the ensemble cast. Although some lines land better than others and the narration is overdone (the use of the expletive 'm***********' is effective once and annoying thereafter), overall, O'Carroll proves himself to have a good ear for dialogue and is a filmmaker with the inventiveness to get himself out of a tight spot.
Both he and Toni deserve a bigger payday.
Swing Bout is in selected cinemas.
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