Watch The Cage Fighter

The Cage Fighter is a powerful documentary from 2017 that chronicles the life of Joe Carman, a 40-year-old family man and a blue-collar worker who has an obsession with MMA (mixed martial arts) fighting. Directed by Jeff Unay, this movie captures the complex character of Joe, the struggles that he faces as a cage fighter and the toll that his passion takes on his family life.

Joe is a man with a single purpose in life, fighting. He works in the roofing business, but his true passion is in the cage. Despite his advancing age and the reluctance of his family, Joe continues to fight in amateur bouts against opponents half his age. The film follows Joe's attempt at making a comeback into the MMA circuit after taking a break to focus on his family.

The movie shows a deeply moving portrait of a fighter who faces the heartbreaking conflict between his passion for the sport he loves and the love and responsibility that he has towards his wife and his daughters. His wife, Lisa, is supportive of his passion, but also worries about his safety and balance. His daughters, Delanee and Callie, are fiercely protective of their father and hope for a more stable life for their family.

The Cage Fighter deals with issues of family values, masculinity, and self-realization in a poignant and honest way. Through interviewing Joe, his wife, and his daughters, and by showing footage of his training and fights, this documentary demonstrates the difficulties of juggling family life with the demands of a passion like MMA. It delves into the idea of the masculine ideal and the cultural acceptance of violence as an expression of that idea.

The movie also portrays the camaraderie and mutual respect of the MMA community. It shows the beauty of the sport and highlights the kindness of its participants. The Cage Fighter is a poignant portrait of a man struggling to find his place in the world with his family's support and understanding.

One of the strengths of the movie is its use of close-ups to capture the anxiety deep within Joe's face before every fight. The camera captures every subtle nuance of Joe's body language; the drumming of his fists on his thighs before a fight, the way he paces around a room, and the way that he recites his reasons for fighting.

Overall, The Cage Fighter is not just for MMA enthusiasts; it is a movie that resonates with anybody who has struggled to balance personal passion with familial responsibilities. It is a powerful tale of a man who grapples with the concept of masculinity and his duty to his family. The movie sets out to explore the fighter's life but ends up being a touching meditation on love and family.

The Cage Fighter is a superbly crafted documentary that immerses viewers into the life of a man who is consumed by fighting. The combination of interviews and footage creates a deep sense of empathy for Joe and his family, and the shots of his bruised and battered face show the brutal reality of the sport he loves. The movie questions common ideas of masculinity, family values, and societal expectations, and distills them into a poignant and moving story. The Cage Fighter is an excellent portrait of the human condition explored through the lens of a modern gladiator.

The Cage Fighter is a 2018 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 21 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.0 and a MetaScore of 71.