It’s been a while since we heard anything about the new action movie Rumble Through The Dark, despite the fact that filming was completed more than a year ago. Thankfully, Deadline has provided us with our first look at the film. The protagonist, played by Aaron Eckhart, is Jack Boucher, a bare-knuckle cage fighter trying to clear his family’s debts with the money he earns. The movie is based on Michael Farris Smith’s popular novel The Fighter. Images of Jack’s battles to the delight of onlookers demonstrate his furious determination. He has a money symbol tattooed on his naked chest, maybe as an open reminder to himself and his rivals that he is only interested in winning.
According to the summary, Jack has a number of financial commitments, but the mortgage on his foster mother’s home (she is currently in hospice care) is the most pressing. It’s implied that Jack and her share a special connection by the way they look at each other and touch in one of the photos. Annette, played by Bella Thorne, is a tattooed carnival hustler who crosses paths with Eckhart and ends up assisting him in his quest to reclaim his family’s land in Rumble Through the Dark.
Big Momma Sweet, played by Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Secrets and Lies), is the ruler of the mafia to whom Jack owes money. One of the photos depicts a heated encounter between Jack and Big Momma Sweet. Even though the film hasn’t been released yet, producers Graham and Parker Phillips (The Bygone) have said they’re happy with how their main performers performed their parts. The directors remarked of Eckhart, “We knew we needed a talent bold enough to confront the desperation, addiction, physical suffering, and emotional rawness of the warrior, Jack Boucher,” and they were not disappointed. Additionally, “He put everything on the line every day on set, pushing himself to the brink of his physical and mental endurance. That dude has a natural disposition for conflict.
Producer Cassian Elwes (Dallas Buyers Club) said that Thorne “proven to be a tour de force and brought her part to life with the insatiable agency, sensitivity, and grit,” praising her performance as well. Smith, the author of the novel, also wrote the script for the adaptation. Besides Elwes and Cleta Ellington, the production team consists of executive producers Tate Taylor (Girl on a Train) and John Norris. There is currently no set release date for Rumble Through the Dark, but when it does arrive, worldwide distribution will be handled by Universal Pictures.
Synopsis
A bare-knuckle cage boxer makes one last, desperate effort to save his foster mother’s house in the murky Mississippi Delta by paying off his debts.