Rumble Through the Dark

There is nothing charming, appealing, or remotely memorable about a thing called Rumble Through the Dark.

... looking for something more adult and less direct may find their cinematic needs satisfied, even if the structure is fairly rote for this genre of picture.

It's a dour character study of a boxer who stumbles through life barely able to function.

Despite some nonsensical, coincidental plot turns, this drama still manages to compel with its vivid depiction of the Mississippi Delta and the characters living there.

The movie is unconvincing. It all comes down to that – a feeling that what we have just watched is manipulative down to its very fiber.


Aaron Eckhart has made a career out of over-performing in vehicles that don’t deserve him. He’s all sinew and bone here, spitting blood, tearing up motel rooms, hallucinating about his past. He elevates the entire film.

Aaron Eckhart elevates Rumble Through the Dark with a stunningly intense physical performance. The film packs a wallop at times but often meanders with a sluggish script and questionable directorial decisions.

[T]he tone here is all over the place, too, but that shouldn't come as much of a surprise, considering how inconsistent the movie's plot, characters, and basic filmmaking are.

“Rumble Through the Dark” is a promising but weighted down thriller that gets by mostly on the shoulders of Eckhart. The material may not do him many favors, but he pours himself into his role which makes the story’s shortcomings a bit easier to maneuver.

The directors bring some style to the picture, helping to turn a lengthy journey into agony into something cinematic, while Smith does a capable job of escalation, taking the long way around to a rough conclusion that finds its intended emotionality.