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Ian Palmer

An epic 12-year journey into in the world of an Irish Traveller community, Knuckle takes us inside their brutal, secretive and exhilarating bare-knuckle fighting lives. Chronicling a history of violen... read more read more...t feuding between rival families, the story focuses on two brothers as they fight for their reputations and the honour of their family name. Brutal, yet captivating and ultimately moving, this unforgettable documentary offers an exclusive insight into the world of Irish Travellers and the lengths they will go to protect their family name. -- (C) Official Site

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68% liked it

1,784 ratings

Critics

95% liked it

40 critics

R, 1 hr. 32 min.

Directed by: Ian Palmer

Release Date: December 9, 2011

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DVD Release Date: February 7, 2012

Stats: 95 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (95)

  • kiriyamakazou
    December 28, 2011
    kiriyamakazou
    Like many great documentaries, Knuckle was born out of something else. It originally began as a wedding video. Ian Palmer found something so interesting about his guests, he ventured further and discovered the world of Irish travelling bare knuckle boxing. Most specifically he fo... read morellows the feud between two clans of the same family, The McDonaghs and the Joyces. So after that wedding video, Palmer ended up documenting this feud and these fights for 12 years. This extraordinary amount of time puts the whole thing into perspective about the needlessness and absurdity of violence. Many say the feud goes back 50 years, and yet nobody gives a straight answer as to its origins. People hold grudges and plan rematches 9 years down the line. It becomes obvious that fighting has become an addiction and a way of life for these poor men. They have nothing else to do. When we see the acclaim they receive from their families, it's easy to see why they have been so taken in by aggression. In the first fight James McDonagh says it will be his last, but it's far from it. He seems genuine about his wanting to quit, but he always ends up in another fight. Even the director talks about how he continued filming just for the thrill, and had lost sight of his documentary. Every fight is brutal in that realistic sense, and Palmer clearly paints a vivid picture of this strange world. Aggressive men, but loving husbands and fathers. Fights that are fought for lack of reason, but are controlled and fair with a sense of honour. Knuckle is the kind of film that lures you in with basic blood lust, but gives you a whole lot more.

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Critic Reviews

Kyle Smith
December 9, 2011
Kyle Smith, New York Post

Palmer's film is brutally compelling to look at, as the lads get down to face-rearranging, but it also carries a lot of tragic historical freight. Full Review

Manohla Dargis
December 8, 2011
Manohla Dargis, New York Times

While it's frustrating that Mr. Palmer doesn't dig deep into the complexities of the fights, one of the movie's strengths is the honesty with which he confesses his doubts about them. Full Review

Betsy Sharkey
December 8, 2011
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times

Though you will wish for more polish and insight, its unruly action is hard to resist. Full Review

Scott Tobias
December 8, 2011
Scott Tobias, NPR

Knuckle largely skirts exploitation, simply by virtue of showing this conflict perpetuate itself over so many years. Clans like the Quinn McDonaghs and the Joyces seem destined to fight for generation... Full Review

Joe Neumaier
December 8, 2011
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News

While the film becomes slightly redundant, the anger and strife its characters cannot overcome is awful, poetic and, frankly, astonishing. Full Review

James Rocchi
December 7, 2011
James Rocchi, MSN Movies

Knuckle is a curiously riveting work. Full Review

Nick Schager
December 6, 2011
Nick Schager, Village Voice

Palmer's grainy, handheld camerawork won't win any aesthetic prizes, but it's in tune with his subject. Full Review

Justin Chang
December 5, 2011
Justin Chang, Variety

As a bruising study in masculine temperament and the ways in which cycles of violence can be controlled and mediated -- yet also perpetuated and inflamed -- in a public arena, pic is unavoidably compe... Full Review

Stephen Farber
February 8, 2011
Stephen Farber, Hollywood Reporter

The fighters hit hard, and so does the movie. Full Review

Mike Scott
January 3, 2012
Mike Scott, Times-Picayune

An extraordinarily compelling and hard-hitting portrait of two Irish families and their decades-old, bare-knuckled feud. Full Review

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Knuckle Trivia

  • In the movie "Snatch", what is Brad Pitt's character known for?  Answer »
  • Name the Actor who played bare knuckle champion in snatch?  Answer »
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