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Philly Kid
Philly Kid
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jason Connery
Written by	Adam Mervis
Produced by	Moshe Diamant; Stephanie Caleb; Karri O'Reilly; Lauren Ito; Jeff SilverExecutive Producer:; Courtney Solomon, et al.;
Starring	Wes Chatham; Devon Sawa; Sarah Butler; Chris Browning; Lucky Johnson; Neal McDonough; Michael Jai White;
Cinematography	Marco Fargnoli
Edited by	William Yeh; Andrew Bentler;
Music by	Ian Honeyman
Production; companies	After Dark Films; Signature Entertainment
Distributed by	After Dark Films; IM Global
Release date	May 11, 2012;
Running time	94 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$4.9 million

Philly Kid is a 2012 American drama film directed by Jason Connery and written by Adam Mervis. The film stars Wes Chatham, Devon Sawa, Chris Browning, Lucky Johnson, Kristopher Van Varenburg, Michael Jai White, and Neal McDonough.

Plot

Following ten years in a Louisiana prison after being wrongly convicted of assault and murder of a police officer, NCAA champion wrestler Dillon is paroled. Back in his home neighborhood in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, his friend Jake is in deep trouble with gamblers, and Dillon agrees to pay off his debt by cage fighting. Complications occur with Dillon's parole officer, a corrupt cop, Dillon's new girlfriend, and fight promoters. His problems compound with his victories; eventually the system demands that he throw a bout.

Cast

Wes Chatham as Dillon "The Philly Kid" McGuire, a former high school wrestler turned MMA fighter
Devon Sawa as Jake
Sarah Butler as Amy
Neal McDonough as Jim "L.A. Jim" Jacoby
Lucky Johnson as "Ace" Reed
Chris Browning as Detective Ray Marks
Michael Jai White as Arthur Letts
Bernard Hocke as Lenny
Rich Clementi as Sanchez
Shawn Jordan as Andrei Titov
Kristopher Van Varenberg as Chase

Production

The film was shot in Baton Rouge, Louisiana beginning in May 2011. The film's production staff included about ten department heads with ties to the Wright State University film program or Dayton, Ohio.^[2]

Release

The film was released in the United States to theatres on May 11, 2012, with an MPAA "R" rating.^[3] As part of the "After Dark Action" bundle, the film showed for one week in ten cities,^[4] and was simultaneously released for video on demand.^[5]^[6]

Reception

The Philly Kid received mixed reviews. Variety wrote that it "delivers the basic goods, if not much more, as formulaic, functional guys'-night-in entertainment", continuing that the performances and "... Jason Connery's direction are solid enough, but the pic lacks the distinctive elements that might have lifted it above routine competence."^[3] The Los Angeles Times summarized that the film "attempts to locate a drama within the world of mixed martial arts fighting, when all it really wants to do is show some fights."^[7] IndieWire noted that the film's "combat sequences are vivid and believable. Too bad about everything else", adding, "The Philly Kid never gains traction as a film about anything other than what it's about—you've seen it before you've seen it", giving the film a "C−".^[8]

The film score by Ian Honeyman was well received: it "doesn’t feel like a factory-produced piece of Hollywood, but rather a score with soul and heart", according to SoundtrackGeek.com, which gave an overall grade of 81/100.^[9]

References

^ "Initial Certification Search" (Type "Philly Kid" in the search box). Fastlane NextGen. Archived from the original on June 15, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
^ Larsen, Dave (May 23, 2011). "Dayton film professionals buck motion picture industry downturn". ActiveDayton. Cox Media Group. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013.
^ ^a ^b Harvey, Dennis (May 10, 2012). "The Philly Kid". Variety. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
^ "Theatres". afterdarkaction.com. After Dark Films. Archived from the original on 2012-06-27.
^ "After Dark Action releases trailer, poster and stills for Philly Kid". afterdarkaction.com. After Dark Films. April 12, 2012. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
^ "FAQ". afterdarkaction.com. After Dark Films. April 27, 2012. Archived from the original on September 4, 2012.
^ Olsen, Mark (May 11, 2012). "Review: 'After Dark Action' has uneven quality, steady violence". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 8, 2024. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
^ Toro, Gabe (June 9, 2012). "Review: After Dark Action Pics 'El Gringo,' 'The Philly Kid,' 'Stash House' & 'Transit' An Unven Offering Of Genre Fare". IndieWire. Archived from the original on June 13, 2012. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
^ "Soundtrack Review: The Philly Kid (2012)". SoundTrackGeek.com. June 26, 2012. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012.