Embattled may be smarter than it looks, but it's still further evidence of the decline of human civilisation.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 30, 2021

Part classic montage-showdown sports movie, part southern gothic Oedipal family drama, this decidedly peculiar but oddly compelling film is the proverbial curate's egg.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 29, 2021

Sarkisov and screenwriter David McKenna ("American History X) give us fully drawn, realistic male characters slugging it out in a battle of male toxicity.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Nov 26, 2020

The father-son drama in Embattled might win some rounds, but the abundance of clichés leads to a loss overall.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Nov 20, 2020

Much like Dorff's overbearing Cash, the film is easier to take when it's not in your face.

| Nov 20, 2020

An MMA drama with heart, conviction and a killer right hand jab, "Embattled" is a different kind of fighter story, one where the consequences of the fight are more important than the win-loss records of its fighters.

| Original Score: B | Nov 20, 2020

In "Embattled," the human side feels explored, as if the film could have been made without the MMA scenes and still been a worthwhile watch. But it does have those adrenaline-injecting fights, so ... all the better.

| Nov 19, 2020

A testosterone substitute in drama form, "Embattled" practically peacocks onto the screen.

| Nov 19, 2020

It's gripping in the moment, and gives you a clear rooting interest, thanks in no small part to Mann.

| Nov 18, 2020

The film muddies its sense of moral righteousness by suggesting that violence and vengeance can only be defeated by more of the same.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Nov 15, 2020