A boxer (Orlando Bloom) isn’t quite ready to walk away from his career and he decides to return to the ring one last time. Coming out of retirement, the boxer has to undergo an intensive ‘cut’, aka a weight-loss regime, in only a few days in order to hit the target weight for the fight. With his girlfriend and trainer Caitlin (Catriona Balfe) by his side, the boxer throws himself into the challenge but when he finds he’s not losing weight quick enough, he hires non-nonsense trainer Boz (John Turturro). It soon becomes clear that he’ll have to break the rules if he wants to drop the weight, and the cut becomes a test of endurance and determination.
‘The Cut’ is a new boxing drama from director Sean Ellis (‘Cashback’) and it’s an exploration of the lengths a sports-person is willing to go to. Orlando Bloom is the boxer, who doesn’t get a name in the film, and we get to learn relatively little about him. Flashbacks from his childhood attempt to round the character out but the present-day boxer gives very little away. It’s not really that clear why he’s so determined to put himself through hell to be able to take part in the fight, and he seems to have little regard for himself or anyone else. As he’s drawn further into Boz’s illegal and unorthodox methods, he becomes distanced from Caitlin who can’t bear to see him circle the drain.
For a film about boxing, there’s relatively little boxing in it. Instead, the film positions itself as a psychological thriller focusing more on the boxer’s state of mind and endurance. It may very well test the endurance of the audience too because there’s not a whole lot to sink your teeth into here. The boxer’s actions are so crazy that it’s hard to sympathise with him and the introduction of Boz immediately leaves a bad taste. Caitlin at least keeps the audience on side but the character is side-lined around the mid-point of the film.
Bloom’s performance is committed. The body transformation he undergoes as the film progresses is quite shocking and you get the impression he may have been going through similar things to the character he is portraying. It’s a stretch to say that Bloom is ‘overweight’ at the beginning of the film but there is a stark contrast between how he looks at the start compared to the end, where he’s gaunt and sickly. John Turturro plays the kind of bad guy we’ve seen him do time and time again, and while his performance is strong you can’t help but feel that he’s phoning it in.
‘The Cut’ is an interesting idea but it’s not realised in a way that’s easy to connect with. The film has a bit of an identity crisis and the material isn’t fleshed out enough for audiences to resonate with it. While Bloom’s performance is impressive, as is his accent, it’s not enough to keep you hooked when the film turns dark. Essentially you spend half of the film watching a man going down a destructive path that’s not going to have a happy ending, and you feel helpless.
Cast: Orlando Bloom, Catriona Balfe, John Turturro, Gary Beadle Director: Sean Ellis Writers: Justin Bull (screenplay), Mark Lane (story) Certificate: 15 Duration: 98 mins Released by: Altitude Release date: 5th September 2025
