Counterpunch (2019) User Reviews

true story but not so promising

[friendlyclown · 4/10 · 23 December 2014]

we expect more fighting considering the title of the film but the movie doesn't give us much of what we expect unfortunately. The cast also doesn't provide us with world wide stars except Danny Trejo so it also lacks celebrity charm too. nevertheless the cast we have in this movie did a good work, acting are fine it just needs a little more spice to make us feel better about the film. and because this is a boxing film we have to compare it with the best we have ; rocky, drama level is lower than the legend film and so are the duration of fighting scenes, yet one can always give it a shot for one-time viewing only not too bad not too good

DO IT FOR YOU

[nogodnomasters · 5/10 · 4 December 2018]

This is another in a continuing film series in which Danny Trejo plays a larger part on the cover than he does in the film. At least a zombie doesn't eat him after 10 minutes. Based on a true story the film opens up with Emilio (Alvaro Orlando) in a south Miami mental health facility. We don't know what he did, but he is being punished by being locked alone in a cell with Danny Trejo trying to be his friend. Emilio describes the events that lead up to this scene.

We find out Emilio, who grew up with hoodlums, was rescued by his uncle Frank (Oscar Torre) who taught him how to box. Emilio is an undisciplined boxer with a lot of energy who dreams of fighting for the Golden Gloves. Toss in a female promoter and love interest (Camila Banus) an old dog, a mom (Yeniffer Behrens) with an abusive boyfriend (Steven Bauer), the predictable music montage training sequence and championship fight and you pretty much have a formula film.

The acting was decent. The women were pretty, apparently ugly is outlawed in Miami as it is in California. While the film is about a boxer, there is relatively little ring action. Might work as a rental. A guy film a woman can watch.

Parental Guide: F-bomb, N-word. Woman being choked. Brief attempted rape scene. Brief sex scene. No real nudity.

Indie boxing drama

[Leofwine_draca · 2/10 · 5 June 2018]

COUNTERPUNCH is a cheap boxing drama made on a tiny indie budget. Watching it, you wonder why they bothered with a story that just goes through a number of genre cliches, including prison life, training, and the climactic fight, when all of it feels so hackneyed, so predictable. The budget is too low as well, which precludes any decent writing or performances, making this a chore to watch. Danny Trejo pops up as a convict and Steven Bauer's in there somewhere too, but this really is the pits regardless.

Very Inspiring Film!!!

[filmlvr76 · 9/10 · 16 January 2013]

I found the film very inspiring and I highly recommend it. A true story about a family doing their very best to raise a troubled young man as best as they can. The acting was superb, the cast did not feel like they were acting. Alvaro Orlando as the young man/boxer gives an excellent performance. Oscar Torre as his uncle and ex-boxer, who is fighting to keep his dignity while raising his nephew as best as he can, gives a heart breaking performance, as well as Yeniffer Behrens as his drug addicted mother and Ivonne Coll as the grandmother and the glue that keeps the family together. Danny Trejo as a mental health counselor gives one of his best performances, in a role we are not accustomed to seeing him. Kenneth Castillo does a fine job with the direction. My only critique is, the boxing sequences seemed a little low budget but this is much more than a boxing film, it's a story about survival.

Good Cast!

[CasteRforlife · 10/10 · 24 January 2013]

Great cast. I enjoyed the film and it was very inspiring.... The director did a fine job bringing out the best performances from the actors.......... Including the dog! :)

I think they did a fine job with telling the story and the locations were great! Not sure what the budget was... However i am sure it was not a studio budget... So well done Cast and Crew! It was a true story that truly touched me! In more ways then one! I think it's worth watching 100%. I also wondered how many days they shot? Looks like it was shot in Miami? Right? Or no? Would anyone on here know about this? I would love to get these questions answered! Thanks-

Cheers.

Counterpunch review

[lilgstunt-415-754087 · 10/10 · 17 January 2013]

shocking, stunning, surprisingly good. Three words that just popped in my head as I start my review for Counterpunch. I would have like to seeing more boxing in the film and the climax could of been bigger, but I guess when I sat down to watch this film I was expecting a lot of action, fighting, half naked girls, etc... But wow, I was in for a surprise and this film really made me think about my life and left me with so much to talk about with my family and my close friends. A bipolar boxer with a dysfunctional lifestyle and all odds are definitely against him throughout this film. It was fun and exciting to watch and go on this journey with Emilio(alvaro orlando) and see him fight his way to the top. Orlando was filled with rage and vulnerability which is the two qualities that I see in some of my favorite actors of all time. He was surrounded by a strong cast and that goes to show me that the director (kenneth castillo) really did his homework and focused his energy on who he was going to cast. The Uncle (oscar torre) did a fine job, he was very likable. Overall I really enjoyed this film, I think it's worth watching at least once. It inspired me and made me realize that life is too short not to follow your dreams. The acting was strong, very strong. I liked the story, especially when I found out that It was Based On A True Story! I look forward to seeing more of Alvaro Orlando on the big screen (he was in the pick up artist?) Cheers.

Very good movie, counterpunch.

[Titok9 · 10/10 · 16 January 2013]

I liked this film, I thought the acting was very good and it touched on a very delicate subject matter and enjoyed the risk these filmmakers took. I have nothing to do with this industry, I just enjoy watching movies when I get out of work and I gotta be honest... This movie really took me by surprise, I don't know why, but I just decided to give it a chance while I was browsing through netflix and it sucked me in. The first scene woke me up, It caught me off guard and it felt very real, I was suffering with the lead actor and totally felt his pain. I saw it with my whole family, I had to tell the kids to go upstairs because some of the language, but the actors in this film were amazing, and It was very brave to tell A TRUE STORY about this. Kudos to Counterpunch. Watch out for a couple of these actors in this film, looks like they have a very bright career ahead of them, the lead actor especially.

Wish there were more movies like this

[taub · 10/10 · 15 September 2014]

This is the kind of movie that you never hear of, and after you watch it, you wonder why there aren't more movies like this. America is full of interesting people that overcome terrible odds. But the movies you see made commercially have the same stars, redoing the same stories, or remaking old TV shows.

This movie holds your interest throughout the entire movie. The characters are realistic, because it is based on a true story. I love Danny Trejo, but frequently he just has cameo appearances, but he has a solid performance in this movie. I hope this crew makes some more movies, and that Hollywood starts promoting more Indy films. The Behind the Scenes portion of the DVD says that the film was made in 14 days, on a very low budget.