So don’t get me wrong Channing Tatum – he was the highlight of the movie. And yes (to my disappointment) Terrance Howard was unwatchable. Terrence Howard was trying to portray this tough smart hustler guy who was left behind while his friends all made it pretty big in the hustling game but with a funny accent. Was that just me? His voice – not sure what he was aiming for but it didn’t work well. SOME SPOILERS ---- He discovers Tatum early on in the movie and tells him he can make money fighting… and the rest is history. The only thing that really bothered me with Tatum’s character was the reason for his being in the city alone, no friends, no family. What was the drive behind him? We only literally found this out at the very end but at that point I didn’t even care. There was some small comedic relief through the movie especially in two characters, one of Howard’s errand boys, Ajax, played by Michael Rivera and Tatum’s love interests’ grandma – they made me laugh the most. And lastly, like all other great young films, everybody needs a rival from their past, and for Tatum’s character, this is Evan Hailey played by Brian J. White. You might remember him best from Stomp the Yard and The Family Stone.
Obviously, for those crazy fanatic fans of Channing Tatum, they flocked, I mean, made it to #3 this weekend at the box office – so that is pretty darn good for your first lead role movie. But I’m letting everyone know – if you really want to see it, rent it. This is a stepping stone for Mr. Tatum and it did pretty well, but don’t forget actors have to start from somewhere to get their foot in the door to attempt to get those roles that all actors dream of.
