Man I love Netflix.  Anyway, the next film I will review is Girlfight starring Michelle Rodriguez and written and directed by Karyn Kusama.

If I could sum up the film Girlfight in one word it would be, different.  Kusama's first film is a great experience and a well-crafted and written movie.  The film's lead is Diana Guzman played by a very young Michelle Rodriguez.  Diana is a troubled teen who is on the brink of being expelled from school.  She fights at the drop of a dime and shows no mercy.  Her home life isn't any more calm as her father gives her brother and her a double standard of treatment which is in favor of her brother.  One day, Diana is sent to pick up her brother from the local boxing gym and her history changes after that.  Diana becomes so infatuated with the sport that she even goes as far as to steal money from her father so she can train.  

The movie starts of very cliched, girl boxer leads to no one wants to train leads to one trainer taking a chance leading to a breakout star.  However, these don't really impede the story.  The story is more about Diana taking control of her life and boxing being the catalyst.  Diana trains and trains and becomes so good that she is invited to participate in a intergender tournament that also features fellow gym partner and boyfriend Adrian (Santiago Douglas).  You can pretty much guess who meets in the championship match, but the fight doesn't pan out exactly as you think.  The ending is also left ambigous as well due to the fact that it really isn't clear on which direction Diana will take her newly found talent.

Now down to the nitty gritty.  I have never loved Michelle Rodriguez more in a film than I have in this one.  She is so real that it almost seems like a documentary.  I loved the way that she was able to switch from a tough kid that would kick her own father's ass to the girly girl that is shy when the boy she likes is around.  It was such an amazing performance that I would even say it rivaled Hillary Swank's performance in latest female boxing film, Million Dollar Baby.  The supporting characters did a fine job as well but I think the only reason they did well was because of the fine writing by Kusama.  Kusama really knows the inner city life of Brooklyn and doesn't hammer the sterotypes in at all.  She shows real people.  There is hardly any racial slurrs or slang words used as well as no "ghetto" standards.  These are just real people trying to get by in New York, and I loved that.  I'm really happy when films explore the actual reality of inner city life and youth.  It's not all about drugs and violence.  These kids have goals and dreams too, it's just not as nurtured as upper middle class kids.

There is hardly anything to complain about with this film.  The fight scenes were a little bland, but that was probably due to the lack of budget.  But Kusama makes up for it with the ever so cool "White Out" effect everytime someone was hit in the face.  Very cool in my book.

Bottom line is if you want to see a realistic sports drama that will have you falling in love with the characters, see this film.  There is nothing phony or trivial at any point in this film.  Just one of the best hour and fifty minutes I have ever spent watching a film.

**** out of ****