When a leading actor comes behind the camera, it’s always exciting…
We’ve seen Jonah Hill (the mid-90s) and Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird, Little Women) execute it successfully in recent years.
The one and only Halle Berry is the most recent to broaden her horizons.
Many will remember the 55-year-old American actress from films like X-Men, John Wick: Chapter 3, Die Another Day, Swordfish, and Monster’s Ball, for which she earned an Academy Award for Best Actress.
Bruised, a sports drama written by Michelle Rosenfarb, she directs and stars in. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2020 and is now playing in a limited number of cinemas before hitting Netflix on November 24, 2021.
The film’s excitement is apparent, but is Bruised on Netflix based on a true story?
Is The Movie Bruised Based On A True Story?
No, Bruised is not based on a genuine story, although he does draw inspiration from the real-life MMA sport he is studying.
MMA is a combat sport that allows participants to punch, grab, and fight on the ground, using methods similar to those seen in boxing, martial arts, and kickboxing.
The term itself was coined in 1993 and has grown in popularity in recent years. Big stars like Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Anderson Silva, and others have helped him acquire fame.
In the film Bruised, Halle Berry plays Jackie Justice, an elderly mixed martial arts fighter who had previously retired from the sport. When she is contacted to battle the best female fighter, she accepts the challenge and returns to the ring.
Meanwhile, she is struggling to raise her 6-year-old son, whom she had previously placed for adoption.
Jackie is not based on a real MMA fighter, and the tale is all fictitious.
Nonetheless, Halle has already stated that the story is personal to her:
“I loved it because fighting is something I know so much personally and professionally. I understand what it’s like to fight and not be heard. “
Given his massive role in the plot, it should come as no surprise that Bruised means something to Halle personally.
As previously stated by Entertainment Weekly, “it was written for a 25-year-old Irish Catholic girl.”
This initially discouraged her since she believed it was a story she couldn’t make her own. However, it was at this point when Halle’s personal fight to make the picture a success began:
“I knew as it was written it couldn’t be me, but what I liked about the story was that it was a classic fight movie. I loved this character’s fractured breakup, and I love seeing a movie about redemption. I want to see the human spirit rise, I want to see someone rise above obstacles and still be standing at the end of the day.”
Forcing the producers to allow her to rewrite the script to depict the redemptive story of a middle-aged black lady, she persuaded them to let her. They agreed, and she went hunting for a manager; eventually, she took over the reins.
Bruised Movie Cast
- Adan Canto (X-Men: Days of Future Past)
- Adriana Lenox (The Blind Side)
- Sheila Atim (Show)
- Lela Loren (The Hangover Part III)
- Nikolai Nikolaeff (Mile 22)
- Shamier Anderson (Destroyer)
- Valentina Shevchenko, is a true professional MMA fighter
- Stephen McKinley Henderson (Dune)
- Denny Dillon (Saturday Night Fever)
- Danny Boyd Jr.
