Embattled. Drama – (an exciting, emotional, often gritty or unexpected, series of events or set of circumstances.)
DIRECTED BY NICK SARKISOV. SCREENPLAY BY DAVID MCKENNA – Starring – Stephen Dorff – Darren Mann – Elizabeth Reaser – Colin McKenna – Karrueche Tran – Donald Faison – Saïd Taghmaoui – Ava Capri
Raised by an abusive alcoholic father, Cash (Stephen Dorff) channels his aggression to become a World Champion MMA fighter. Accustomed to wealth, adulation, and global popularity, he faces a new challenge when his second son Quinn is born with Williams Syndrome. Rather than stand and fight, Cash runs. While Cash continues to make his fortune in the ring, his eldest son Jett (Darren Mann) becomes the caregiver to his younger brother Quinn (Colin McKenna). When Jett decides to follow his father’s fighting footsteps and take to the fight game, he faces his past head on, embarking on a course inevitably pitting father versus son in a battle which, no matter the outcome, neither can win.
David McKenna is the writer who wrote American History X and Blow. As a screenwriter, David is known as a ‘Live-Wire’ – he’s fearless.
Being a David McKenna fan and a Stephen Dorff fan I was thrilled at an offer to watch a screener.
In my opinion, David Mckenna creates platforms that challenge actors to perform their finest work as artists, creating real people that reveal extraordinary good and bad character. I’m sure when Stephen Dorff was offered the part to play a ripped and lookin’ good, bold, antisocial, egotistical certified Psychopath MMA Champion, who has no empathy or remorse, he jumped at the chance – and you’ll be glad he did! BRAVO!
Director Nick Sarkisov is a graduate of medical school, which he considers a ‘life school’ because of the different perspectives of life he was privileged to observe. He left the medical profession and founded Blitz Films with his Father, Sergey because filmmaking was his passion. Nick navigates the dangerous operation of action, violence, and emotion in Embattled flawlessly. The photography and music compliment the tone and texture of the story. The fight scenes are breathtaking.
Fight movies, whether they are Boxing films, Martial Arts, Bare-Knuckle, etc. have a long history in movie-making. Almost every major actor throughout history has starred in a fight film, including Charlie Chaplin and Elvis! Fight films have plenty of action and violence. Violence and fighting are part of our DNA, it is akin to the sex drive, a form of Life Force. But this is the MMA which stands for Mixed Martial Arts. There are no rules, no-holds-barred, no mercy. The goal is to win at all costs. Those are the rules of the game. This elevates the stakes to life or death, and surprise, surprise, elevates the MONEY to an offer you can’t refuse!
In ‘Embattled’ Cash fights for the money and for his ego. His son Jett fights for the money to go to college. An experienced first-class screenwriter doesn’t tell you what or how to think. They allow the audience to be fully engaged as they process the words and actions into their own story. For me, Embattled was a story about challenges. The challenges of growing up. Some people face their life challenges and become adults and some don’t.
Darren Mann adds to the star-power of the film. If you don’t know who he is – you will. He has the fighting chops and plays Jet with truthful confidence.
In the film, Darren (JETT) may have an abusive, selfish Dad, but he has the heart of a champion. Though all abused children and adults carry wounds and scars, Jett was raised by a caring and loving Mom, played by Elizabeth Reaser. Together, they support and nurture Jett’s younger brother Quinn, born with Williams Syndrome. Quinn is played by David McKenna’s real-life son Colin. Colin adds a socially relevant and deep emotional truthful core to the story.
ERYL COCHRAN (Producer) Eryl Cochran is a Producer and the Head of Production & Development at Blitz Films focusing on hard-hitting character-driven stories.
Cochran’s produced credits at Blitz Films include the true one-take film LET’S SCARE JULIE, directed by first time director, Jud Cremata and EMBATTLED.
She is currently developing for Blitz the television series SULTANA with showrunners Don Handfield and Richard Rayner (the writers behind Steven Spielberg’s AMAZING STORIES, THE RIFT, and former showrunners of KNIGHTFALL).
Prior to joining Blitz, Cochran’s producing credits include Lionsgate films SLAUGHTER, SECONDS APART, and LEGENDARY. Cochran also produced, wrote, and directed the documentary TOTALITY: THE AMERICAN ECLIPSE, which was among the most watched documentaries in 2017 on Amazon.
Her former development projects include: DAREDEVIL starring Ben Affleck, Colin Farrell and Jennifer Garner; Will Eisner’s THE SPIRIT starring Samuel Jackson and Scarlett Johansson and FROM PRADA TO NADA starring Camilla Bell and Alexa Vega.
Cochran previously worked as Vice President of Development & Acquisitions at OddLot Entertainment (now Madison Wells) and Vice President of Production & Development at Aurora Productions.
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