Fantasia Fest 2024: Dark Match Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

Lowell Dean, known for his cult hits Wolfcop and Another Wolfcop, returns to Fantasia with the darker, atmospheric Dark Match. The film follows an ambitious heel wrestler, Nick (Issa), and the confidently brutish Joe (Ogg) as they tag along with their wrestling company to attend a well-paying gig in an isolated town. However, they soon realize that nothing is as it seems, and the stakes are raised in a game of life or death to please this small-town cult led by a mysterious figure (Jericho).

A change of pace from Dean’s previous films, Dark Match brings a grounded approach to the horrors of underground wrestling. While many of the dialogue-driven scenes come off rather wooden, the visiting wrestlers do an effective job at illuminating the confusion faced in the dangerous situation they found themselves in, one which is elevated by the calculating and disorienting cinematography. Dean threads the needle of creating wrestling matches that highlight the dark rawness of the fights, and the gory aftermaths that Dean is familiar with. The film features a natural progression of the fight choreography as the fighting turns from energized quickness to fatigue sluggishness after a long day’s work. Some of the actors’ own experiences in the fighting world help in making the choreography more authentic to depict this grounded approach.

Jericho, to highlight in particular, brings a charismatic presence to the film to round out this grounded and honest homage to wrestling culture. His long-standing expertise in wrestling and showmanship aids in bringing this heel persona to the screen as an entertaining and menacing villain to cause major roadblocks for the ambitious wrestling company. The quality of dialogue delivery improves once he is present, where his ability to bring out more emotional reactions of the protagonists greatly represents a better second half of the film compared to a slow-paced and awkward first half. Wrestling enthusiasts will have a lot to be satisfied with his character and the way Jericho emulates The Undertaker in his costume choices.

Lowell Dean’s grounded and raw approach to a wrestling setting is a pleasantly surprising departure from his previous films. That being said, audiences will still appreciate his gory style being used in a crafty restraining way, and his sincere attempt at honoring wrestling culture.

still courtesy of Dept. 9 Studios

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Costa Christoulas

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