Film Review: THEY FIGHT (2026): A Rousing Sports Drama with a Solid Turn by André Holland

They Fight Review

They Fight (2026) Film Review, a movie directed by Sheldon Candis, written by Andrew Renzi, Sheldon Candis and Michael Minahan and starring André Holland, Wendell Pierce, Anthony B. Jenkins, Amanda Warren, Samira Wiley, Mykelti Williamson, Aaliyah Mayo, Trina Lloyd, Morgan Dixon, Micaiah Jones, J. Adami, Toussaint Francois Battiste, Joel Steingold, Andre Royo and Rebecca L. Hargrove.

Filmmaker Sheldon Candis’ immensely watchable new drama, They Fight, offers its central character, Walt Manigan (André Holland), a chance at redemption after serving three and a half out of five years of a prison sentence. When given the chance to coach an aspiring young boxer who is being bullied, Peanut (Anthony B. Jenkins), and to help others yearning for victory find a path, Walt excels against the odds in a rousing drama of courage, fierce determination and the hope for a potential triumph of the human spirit. 

Wendell Pierce plays Slim who gives Walt the chance to avoid a life of sleeping on benches and being homeless by offering him the chance to be a janitor at a local gym facility with a boxing club. Walt has regrets, but slowly begins to rebuild his life one step at a time under Slim’s wise guidance. Samira Wiley portrays Ketta, the mom of Walt’s little son, who challenges Walt to be more than he has ever been before.

It turns out Peanut could use a role model as his own dad (Andre Royo) seems to be less than honorable and Walt is up to the task of instilling those he coaches with tremendous hope and inspiration despite Walt’s checkered past. Another kid named Quincey (a well-cast Toussaint Francois Battiste), a friend of Peanut’s, also factors into the action significantly.

Holland’s performance is first-rate. He creates a character with many layers who may or may not have made mistakes in his past, but looks to a future filled with hopeful optimism. There are plenty of obstacles to Walt and those he coaches to achieving greatness as the facility where the boys train is in jeopardy of closing down for financial reasons. They Fight finds challenges in the unlikeliest of places as Walt pushes himself even when there seems to be very little to keep him pushing other than the hope for a better future for himself and the kids. 

Pierce is terrific. Slim is the driving force of the story line and the actor injects the character with wisdom and makes him bleed with realistic integrity, no matter what the details of the plot drive home to the viewer. Royo also offers intriguing support in another powerfully real turn within the film.

It is Battiste and Jenkins who will surprise the most with stellar performances in the younger supporting roles within the picture. Both kids play their determined characters with sincerity and the fight scenes are always believable and on-point. Meanwhile, Samira Wiley’s well-developed Ketta also drives home some of the important messages of the story line that will bring the themes of redemption and perseverance into fruition for the viewer.

They Fight has its problems. Its inspirational conclusion that juxtaposes the actors to the people they portray is not one of them, though. This time out, that choice works well to give the premise behind the film significance and purpose. A few of the situations that occur in the picture do happen too quickly and the development of the characters can feel a little rushed at times. This fact, however, will hardly lessen the emotional impact that They Fight will ultimately have on the viewer.

What could have been a run-of-the-mill story in lesser hands turns into a crowd-pleasing tale of a man’s fight to stay afloat when everything around him seems positioned to sink him. Holland and Pierce are excellent together, creating a bond that strengthens the intensity of the movie and keeps the action flowing at a steady pace. If one wishes the movie were a little longer, it’s because Holland’s character is so easy to comprehend for the audience with his humanity and accessible personality. This movie never takes the easy way out of the complicated dilemmas it proposes. Instead, it shows how problems can be worked through rather than simply running away from them or ignoring them.

This movie teaches us that it’s never too late to find hope in the unlikeliest of places. By pushing harder when all the signs point to failure, redemption and salvation become a definite possibility. They Fight knows how to tackle important issues in its limited 98-minute running time. Holland is a pro at conveying discipline and determination and the viewer will be in his character’s corner rooting for him as the powerfully constructed events of the picture unfold. They Fight is definitely inspired viewing and its audience will see that the best things in life are surely worth fighting for, judging from the events this film so bravely portrays. This movie is a courageous achievement.

Rating: 7/10

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