When I walked into the theater I knew I was taking a gamble with Ian Palmer's Irish boxing documentary Knuckle. The story was intriguing, but many documentaries rely heavily on the personalities of those whose lives are being caught on camera. The success of the film lies predominately within their ability to tell a story. Sadly the gamble proved anything but worthy.
To put it plainly, the film tells the story of a group of families who arrange organized bare knuckle brawls to help determine dominance. Sending DVD messages to one another, they challenge each other in hopes of winning a little money and a heap of respect. Their actions are ridiculous, their outlook childish, and their evolution during the 12 year film period is nearly non-existant.
James is the center point of the story, but director Palmer fails to ever make us care for his well being or connect us with his viewpoint. Instead, we are shown a series of fights, mixed with occasional narration and inaccurate transcriptions of harsh Irish dialect. The film served little purpose, other than to feed the egos of all those involved. There was no climax, no impending resolution and no closure. It was a documentary that showed the way of life of a few large families, all of whom should be embarrassed by both their behavior and parenting.
In the end the film was a terrible misfire from nearly every direction. In hindsight, the only positive to come out of my viewing experience is the mere relief I feel for my family...and the fact that I didn't spend 12 years hoping for some kind of a miracle resolution. Knuckle is merely Palmer's closure to a decade lost.
