jadeprout Probably not the worst film I've ever sat through, but definitely one of the worst. However, what bothers me most about it isn't the terrible film itself... it's the fact that it was written and directed by the lead actress' father. He put his daughter in the role of Ariel, a character who has inappropriate feelings for her father.Let that sink in for a moment.We first see Ariel in a swimming pool with her father, setting up their awkwardly sexualized relationship which is the basic framework of the story. Later, we see her fully naked, bluntly attempting to seduce her tutor. This scene also reinforces the idea that Ariel is a "bad person." Finally, we see her savagely beaten by an angry lesbian. This serves as the climax of the film.If you were a filmmaker, would you put your daughter in that role? If so, what fucking planet are you from?Other than that, this is a very dull film.

ablairwitch I really enjoyed this movie. The characters draw you in. I was intrigued from the beginning. The characters are very well written. I was surprised by the complexity of the female characters. Women can be very hard to understand. I loved how complex the female characters were. Especially because they are so rare to see. The daughter is very well written. Julie the Beauty could benefit from more character development. Extremely well acted. KUDOS to all involved. I would have sworn this was written by a female. Excellent. I liked all the female characters and felt the tortured existence of the male "dad" lead. Great flick. Even my non film-minded Pakistani husband enjoyed it.

bryansawyer This is what the movie box says: "Ariel is a girl with more than her fair share of personal problems. When she learns to take out her frustrations in the boxing ring, she find it just might be her chance to fight for a better life." The front of the box has a pic of Ariel, played extremely well by Sonja Bennet, with a tank top and her hands wrapped for boxing-a little spatter of blood-standing in a boxing pose. Now, the problem with that is that never once in the movie did she learn to box. And never once in the movie did she get inside a boxing ring!Now, if you just ignore those facts, this film is a great movie. It was well directed-Guy Bennett's first film. Michael Riley plays Ariel's father and he was quite impressive. What this film is really about is a young girl, who's trauma from her mother's death has made her a mean antisocial type, who's possessive of her father. There is a very obvious sexual tension between her and her father as a result of her taking on the housewife role of her mother, and this is really the the base of the story. After assaulting his new girlfriend, she's forced to grow up and take responsibility for her life and her actions by the victim's sister- an undefeated topless boxer. That part, as others here have said, was just for titillation. She learns to grow, to let go, and to experience life through the consequences of her actions. This is a great movie, well acted and directed. Well told. There are a handful of short, well done fight scenes-especially the one at the climax. I don't want to say to much her and give anything away. Pick it up for a good conversation piece, not date-night with the town tough girl. Just ignore the stuff on the back of the box.

thinkingveryhard I loved this movie. "Punch" isn't easy to watch (especially for those of us who live with a teenage daughter of our own!), but it is worth the effort. What an interesting film.It is well-acted across the board. The dialogue is tight, hard, funny, rude -- and then moving and lovely. (It is worth seeing twice just for Michael Riley's beautiful monologue on how he met Ariel's mother.)Sonja Bennett is scary as the angry teen protagonist. Utterly unlikable - what a huge risk for a young actress. Bravo to her. Michael Riley is perfect as the Dad. I also loved Marcia Laskowski's performance of Mary - a highly believable, likable, attractive woman somewhere in her thirties. I enjoyed seeing a romantic lead who looked like someone I might actually meet somehwere - someone real. Vincent Gale is - as always - incredible as the complex bartender. And Katherine Kirkpatrick simply rocks as Beth the big boxer. Meredith McGeachie is also impressive as "Julie the Beauty".It's hard to say more without giving stuff away, which I don't want to do, because I hope that lots of peole get to see this movie.