In “The Cut”, Orlando Bloom transforms into a washed-up prizefighter in an otherwise overwrought boxing drama

"Outlander" star Caitriona Balfe plays Bloom's partner and coach.

Despite a trio of knockout performances, The Cut is a lackluster boxing drama.

Orlando Bloom's character, known only as Boxer, runs a boxing gym with his partner Caitlin (Caitriona Balfe). Until the death of a fighter propels him back into the ring for one last shot at glory, even if it might cost him everything. Bloom is the center of the drama, his handsome leading man visage transformed by prosthetics that give him a broken nose, cauliflower ears, and a pugilist's demeanor. It is truly a physical leap for Bloom, and he disappears into the role of a hard-scrabble, mumbling Irishman.

There's no trace of vanity as he sheds pounds in dangerous pursuit of returning to fighting weight (at one point we're told he has to lose 26 pounds in six days). Bloom moves with the lithe, unsteady canter of a man who's punch drunk, while the trauma of his horrific childhood emanates from his haunted eyes.

He's matched by a silver-tongued supporting performance from John Turturro, who plays Boz, a sadistic trainer who pushes Boxer to the physical and mental brink. He is the devil in a polo shirt, charming and malevolent all at once. A less charming actor would have robbed the role of any warmth, but Turturro sells the notion that Boxer cannot release himself from the man's toxic web.

Balfe gives a thankless role her all as the lone woman in this boys' club. Caitlin has a dark past too, alluding to a struggle with addiction. But we never learn any of her past in detail despite numerous and repetitive flashbacks to Boxer's bleak childhood. Instead, it's left to Balfe to convey it all through Caitlin's stricken expressions and misplaced devotion to Boxer. She even gets a few moments to shine as a fighter herself, training Boxer for his fight before Boz takes over. Balfe is a sublime talent, but she deserves far better material that doesn't rely on her to make up for deficiencies in the writing.

Because despite these three strong performances, The Cut can't overcome its overwrought script by Justin Bull (with a story from Mark Lane) and Sean Ellis' flaccid direction. The film is a drama that explores a man who pushes himself to insane limits, only to realize he needs help for his issues (which include an eating disorder and PTSD over the death of his prostitute mother who also pimped him out to pedophiles), and an unhealthy obsession with proving himself a champion in the ring.

Bloom reduced himself to an emaciated husk of a man to tell a story that should've started where it ends. There's not much to take from a man's descent into hell if we don't also get to watch him attempt to crawl out. But that's where it concludes, with Boxer only just peering out of the pit he's fallen into, realizing he needs help to emerge.

As a director, Ellis seems more interested in gratuitous vomit shots and strained depictions of hallucinations than the subject at hand. The Cut is a boxing movie with very little boxing (indeed, we don't even see the climactic fight). It's a deliberate directorial choice that seeks to foreground Boxer's fight inside his soul rather than any external battle. But it robs the film of any energy or propulsion beyond a clichéd portrait of a man in free-fall.

The Cut has the potential to be something fresh and interesting with three particularly fine actors at its heart; instead, it keeps its audience against the ropes, bludgeoning viewers with a trite, histrionic tale of trauma that will likely eliminate any hopes it has of being an awards contender. Grade: C-

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