When it comes to the best boxing movies to grace the silver screen over the years, viewers have come to expect a certain kind of storytelling formula, which proves to be effective. The Cut, one of the sports flicks on the 2025 movie schedule is a bit different, though. The Sean Ellis-directed film doesn’t feature much fighting in general, and I found that surprising upon watching it. With that, the movie’s stars, Orlando Bloom and John Turtorro, shared some keen thoughts with CinemaBlend on that front.
The Cut sees Orlando Bloom play an Irish boxer, who’s never specifically named, as he decides to come out of retirement for another chance for a championship title. However, in order to do so, he has to undergo a brutal weight loss regimen in order to be eligible to compete in the ring. When CinemaBlend spoke to Bloom about the movie’s lack of actual fighting, he told us this:
I think it’s one of the great things about the film is that we don’t. I love the boxing genre movies, Raging Bull, all these movies, even Rocky I admired growing up. They focus on that. The fight for us is the mental, it all happens up here as a fighter says. And, I love the training stuff in all those movies. And, actually, I think it’s a really fresh take on a genre that’s had so much success.
While one would expect to film a big fight in a boxing movie, the movie is more about the process of undergoing rapid weight loss that boxers may go through so they can be properly matched with opponents. Bloom makes a good point in that this movie feels “fresh” in that it seeks to tackle the mental hurdles a fighter has to deal with as opposed to the physical ones. Of course, a film like Raging Bull also manages to tackle deeper themes with a boxing story, but The Cut still feels like a novelty nonetheless.
That mental battle was also big for Orlando Bloom. For the film, Bloom decided to lose 30 lbs. in a matter of three months to authentically play the role. He called the experience “definitely not something to try at home” and has been open about the “mental toll” it put on him. In our interview, he even told us that he came to set at his lightest weight and they filmed The Cut in reverse chronological order. As Bloom sought to gain the weight back, he had to “start gorging food” and found himself eating “anything and everything.”
Bloom and I aren’t the only ones who agree with the “fresh” assessment either, as John Turturro shares the perspective. In the movie, Tuturro plays the unorthodox boxing coach who’s hired to ensure Bloom’s character makes his goal weight. When discussing co-star take about their movie’s lack of fight scenes, Turturro said this:
Yeah. I think fresh is a great word. It is fresh. It is about the journey. And I think that can be just as interesting as the result of where you’re going. And I think it’s really kind of courageous to try something like that. And, I think you’re getting a lot of that through what Orlando does. In the movie, how his body is changing. He’s having a fight, but he’s having a fight with himself. That’s the battle in the movie.
Ellis’ film, which was written by Justin Bull, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last year to positive reviews overall. When the director talked to Box Office Pro about making the movie as well, he said training montages in boxing movies are often “not realistic”, and he was interested in talking about boxing from a “more human” angle.
I’d say that approached served the movie well. The mental fight of The Cut also leads to a shocking ending that may not hit the same way as a big fight scene, but it definitely had me on my toes. Anyone who’d like to see the cerebral film should know it’s currently streaming on Paramount+ and available to rent or buy on digital platforms. Also, seek out other excellent sports movies that are worth a watch.
