Playing at Fantasia 2024, we got to see “Dark Match”, the new film from Lowell Dean, the director and writer of “WolfCop” and its sequel “Another WolfCop”. This time, Dean drops the fur and the fangs to tell the story of a small-time wrestling company that accepts a well-paying gig in a backwoods town.
It is not until the first match has started when the wrestlers realize a little too late that the crowd gathered around the ring are not there just for the show, but for something more sinister. Something that will require 5 fights in very specific scenarios, all of them requiring something more than just sweat and tears.
All this is happening under the watch of a very charismatic leader, who seems to have a past with this particular wrestling company, and a debt to collect.
I am not a big fan of wrestling, but Dark Match was a winner in my book. Although some people might say it is too violent, I’d say it was never too much. There is some blood and some gore (and breasts!) but it never goes for shock value, nor tries to offend. It just does what it needs to tell the story, and does a great job at it. It’s very entertaining and even better, It has great performances, both inside and outside the ring.
I loved the characters and their wrestling personas. While this could be the story of Miss Behave, a lady who has played “the heel” for several years and still waiting for a shot at the championship title, I felt that the plot makes several characters have their moments and thus makes the whole story work a lot better than if it was only focused on one character.
And speaking of Miss Behave (also known as Nick), it was refreshing to see that the main female character was strong, flawed, smart, with doubts, and still very likable. She was not a know-it-all that always has the last word and is never wrong, nor were the male characters morons, or A-holes that were always keeping her down. She makes mistakes and then feels bad about them, she tries to make amends, but still never loses sight of what she wants: A shot at the title.
The pacing of the movie was very good, I was entertained the whole time, the fights were great and when things got bloodier, I was not disappointed. I was expecting something way more crazy or bonkers from the director of “WolfCop”, and I was surprised to see a straight horror film. Sure, there were some jokes here and there, but nothing “pushing the envelope” just for the sake of shock.
Another thing worth mentioning is that the movie takes place in the late 80’s (I believe 1988). But contrary to a lot of films that are cashing in on the nostalgia of that great era, this film was not constantly referencing pop culture, no Memerberries at any time! No posters of loved movies! No cereal or toys to make you go “Ah! I had that!”. Well done, sir!
If I had something negative to say about “Dark Match”, would just be something very small, but I think I need to get it out of my chest:
The film could have ended when we see the Earth shake (I guess that is a MINIMAL spoiler), but then the film continues to give us an ending that I felt it broke the tension, and went for something too mainstream (I’ll give you a clue: think of the ending of “Amazing Spider-Man 2”). I felt like that was unnecessary (and the special effects in that scene were sort of … not great), but I guess Dean had controlled the urge to do something crazy for too long and needed it to release some steam, so it’s OK.
It was nothing that messed up the movie, I just think the film could end up stronger a few minutes earlier, but that is me.
I STRONGLY recommend that you seek this film when it is available. It’s very fun, and worth your time.
And I will be reviewing more films doing our remote coverage, so stay tuned!
