Jungleland is a fairly paint-by-numbers story that’s elevated greatly thanks to the strong performances of its stars. It tells the tale of Stanley (Charlie Hunnam) and Walter ‘Lion’ Kaminski (Jack O’Connell), two brothers who have nothing in the world but one another and their shared dream of fame and fortune. Okay, well, it’s not so much a shared dream as it is Stanley’s vision for where they’ll end up because of Walter’s (though he’s called Lion by everyone in the movie, so I’ll refer to him as such from now on) skills as a boxer.
You see, Stanley is Lion’s manager of sorts, as well as his caretaker. The two grew up without parents, so they’re all each other has ever known. The problem is that Stanley tends to get himself into trouble a lot. He’s been to prison (though that’s just briefly referenced, so we’re not sure how long he was away for or how that impacted Lion, since it would’ve left him to fend for himself), and he also got Lion thrown out of professional boxing after trying to bribe a ref. So now Lion is forced to fight bare-knuckle fist fights in underground contests for pennies, just so the two can scrape by enough to get to the next fight.
What Lion doesn’t know is that Stanley is indebted to a local gangster named Pepper (Jonathan Majors), and when Stanley doesn’t have the money he owes, Pepper gives them an option: he’ll get them on the card of an elite bare-knuckle, no-holds-barred prize fighting tournament in San Francisco the following week, but they have to transport a young woman named Sky (Jessica Barden) to Reno, Nevada beforehand. Stanley’s not entirely happy about having to transport a young woman across the country; however, he’s dead set on the future he’s laid out for himself and Lion, so he agrees.
On the visual side of things, Director Max Winkler showcases his talent and keen eye as he and cinematographer Damián García give the film the gritty, darker look it needs to keep the film grounded in the reality Winkler is aiming for. While there’s a decent amount of bare-knuckle boxing to be found, the movie is more about two brothers, their relationship, their different dreams when it comes to trying to escape poverty and just how far they’re willing to go to do so.
Hunnam and O’Connell have fantastic brotherly chemistry, which helps keep the film engaging throughout, and Barden does a great job of giving Sky a level of depth could’ve easily been lost to a lesser performance. It’s the work of this trio that carries the film above all else, as Jungleland’s major flaw is how predictable it is as a whole. So while I’d recommend the film based on the acting work alone, know that there’s not much here that you won’t be able to see coming a mile away if you’re even vaguely familiar with this type of story.
DVD Video and Audio Review:
Jungleland looks quite solid on DVD, with no distracting, muddied moments during any of the darker scenes, and some nice, sharp visuals when it comes to characters. There are no real complaints to be had on this front, which is good as it’s unlikely that the film will see a Blu-ray release any time soon. The audio side of things is also solid, with the dialogue coming through clearly and the sound effects and soundtrack all coming together nicely in the final transfer.
Special Features:
There are no special features to be had on this disc.
Paramount Pictures Presents Jungleland. Directed by: Max Winkler. Written by: Theodore Bressman, David Branson Smith, Max Winkler. Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Jack O’Connell, Jessica Barden. Running time: 90 Minutes. Rating: 14A. Released on DVD: Jan. 12, 2021.
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