“Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” – Murphy’s Law.

This quote could be the tagline for Max Winkler’s (Flower, Ceremony) third featured film, the intense and gritty Jungleland. Set against the backdrop of the heartland of present-day America, Bostonian brothers Stanley (Charlie Hunnam – The Lost City of Z, Papillon) and Lion (Jack O’Connell – Unbroken, Money Monster) travel from their Massachusetts home to San Francisco, where they will participate in Jungleland. Jungleland is a $100,000 bare-knuckles prize fight tournament in which a local gangster named Pepper (Jonathan Majors – Creed III, White Boy Rick) can secure a spot for Lion. Lion is a skilled lightweight boxer who is banned from traditional boxing matches after Stan, who also serves as his manager, is caught trying to bribe a referee. This incident happens before the start of the film, but it establishes Stan as a shady dealer who will do anything to make a quick buck. The main problem is that he makes terrible deals and ends up deeply in debt. The brothers work at a sewing factory, but this isn’t enough to get Stan out of the hole he dug himself. And while Lion is one of the best fighters, the back alley clubs that hold these unsanctioned fights can only pay their winners up to two hundred dollars per fight. It’s simply not enough to pay back what he owes and keep food on the table for the duo.

Desperate, the brothers have no choice but to accept Pepper’s offering, even with the catch that comes along with it. They are instructed to transport a young woman named Sky (Jessica Barden – The Lobster, The New Romantic) to Reno, Nevada, and deliver her to a handler. Though it isn’t explicitly stated, they are being asked to participate in human trafficking activity. The rough-looking, tattered Stanley is the smarter of the two brothers, and while he knows the difference between right and wrong, he can look the other way. Lion, the moral conscience of the movie, can’t do so as easily.

Not knowing the enigmatic woman getting in the car with them, they can only suspect she is as disreputable as Pepper. Stan assumes she’s an escort, but quickly learns she is anything but. The film doesn’t try to glamourize or make her feel like a victim or criminal, especially at first. She remains a mystery as we get to know her through the hardened eyes of Stan and the impressionable Lion, who wears his heart on his sleeve when he isn’t rolling them up to prepare for a fight.

Plenty of grimy mishaps force the trio to use all their skills and resources, seemingly needing to catch up to their present situation. While most of the conditions they find themselves in could happen, all of them occurring in sequence can seem a little far-fetched. This was not a problem for me as I was ‘along for the ride’ with Stan, Lion, and Sky, for better or worse. However, your enjoyment of the film as a whole will depend on how willing you are to watch this down-on-their-luck trio continually screw things up just when it feels like they are ready for some good luck. The pattern of troubles established in the film’s first act sets the tone for what follows.

This movie is well crafted. Each of its three leads has depth. Hunnam continues to impress as an actor, even when some of his films don’t do as well with critics and audiences as others. This may have been his most intense performance. Seemingly always angry, but at the same time very affectionate with his brother, Stan seems constantly conflicted about whether he is using Lion or genuinely trying to improve his life. Though we never see it, we can assume that he was once a man who sparkled and had more going for him than not. But his luck has turned, and now it seems like there is a constant bullseye on his back. This doesn’t stop him from continuing to expose himself as he tries to re-grab that slice of pie he may have lost, while also going after a larger portion he believes he is entitled to, despite the angst and worry that comes with it. He’s beyond controlling his greedy instincts.

O’Connell’s portrayal of Lion is soft and authentic. While the brutal physical shots his body takes as a result of numerous fights don’t seem to affect him, it’s the emotional toll that haunts him. He’s filled with sadness and loneliness. His connection with Sky feels very real after its slow build. Barden is fantastic as Sky. Her past also haunts her, though that reveal comes later. Her world is dark, and most of us can only imagine it. She, too, struggles between right and wrong as she tries to free herself from Stan and Lion while not wanting to leave the two men who have treated her with kindness and dignity when she may not have had much of that in her life before.

Jungleland is different from most other movies you’ll see this year. It’s moody but not depressing, heartbreaking but not sad, vengeful but only out of necessity. It’s just three people trying to make their way through a world that seems to put constant roadblocks in their way. It was a movie I never wavered from. It grabbed me from the opening scene and held me through the end, which I haven’t been able to say about new movies I’ve watched recently.

Plot 7.5/10
Character Development 8.5/10
Character Chemistry 8.5/10
Acting 9.5/10
Screenplay 8/10
Directing 9/10
Cinematography 9.5/10
Sound 8.5/10 (last scene alone is the best use of a song in a movie all year)
Hook and Reel 10/10
Universal Relevance 7.5/10
85.5%

B

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