Thorough (Long) Review of 'The Hurt Business' Now on Netflix

NeverAgainPlaya

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The documentary initially opens with focus on the rival and eventual championship battle between former training partners Jon Jones and Rashad Evans. And interestingly enough, we see what seems to be the most honest and shield-free Jon Jones, we’ve ever seen. Jon Speaks on his roots, and his religious background, and, believe it or not, his belief that the religious path wasn’t for him. Jon speaks candidly on his desires as an athlete and his mindset, not as a religious man, but as a professional competitor. It may be the most honest rendition of Jon Jones that we’ve ever seen.

The documentary quickly shifts and opens up to a more broad voice. A number of recognizable faces speak on their goals of becoming champions, and the heartbreak that comes when those dreams fall short.

Michael Guymon is one of the first fighters to receive focus. His story, as dedicated fans know, isn’t pretty. Guymon was a talented competitor, but he was never an elite competitor; he could beat the good fighters, but not the great. We learn some of the serious injuries he’s endured, and his story, while not extensively focused upon, is a sad story to hear. Injuries took the man out of the game before rising to the highest of levels possible, and those injuries have left him struggling physically and financially. His gym is now everything, as he’s no longer fit to compete on a stage large enough to reap financial rewards that will ensure a fiscally comfortable life.

He’s left with his gym, and if his gym doesn’t succeed, his future is no doubt in question. It’s an ugly reality, but it’s a reality nonetheless.

The documentary moves forward with a look at Olympic standout Sara McMann, who’s enjoyed a fruitful but not flawless career. As an Olympic wrestler she excelled; as a mixed martial artist she’s enjoyed ups and downs. Her personal life however, is profoundly dark, and no doubt a motivating factor. Her older brother was murdered, and she used that as motivation to thrive, to succeed. On one hand it’s honorable, on the other, it’s a vicarious existence that warrants some sadness.

The documentary speeds through, and we hear from a number of competitors, including Tito Ortiz, Ian McCall, and Michelle Waterson. Opinions differ, and some feel women deserve to compete in mixed martial arts while others do not. It’s everything we as fans are familiar with.

Do women have a place in MMA?

Audiences clearly believe they do, and equal rights support that stance. Ronda Rousey, a longtime, dominant champion also supports the idea that women are just as fit to compete inside a cage as men. While Ronda’s career has seen a brutal downward spiral in the last year or so, her voice, and her desire to compete is projected as an inspiring element of the documentary.

But that’s only one small slice of this engaging film, which, for the record, moves at such an accelerated rate that focusing on any one single individual’s career becomes a challenge. If there’s a fault to this documentary, it’s the amount of insight and information that’s attempted to be crammed into a feature length film’s length. There are stories here that can easily command the full length of film, especially if we’re to gleam in depth insight, but the film is focused on a much broader message, which clearly trims down the details we’d like to take away from certain fighters in specific.

Moving on.

Bellator standout Michael Chandler enjoys some focus, and like the other competitors thus far, his time is truncated. We learn of his background briefly, and his career – both the highs and lows – briefly, but he, like the other fighters featured thus far, doesn’t receive the time he deserves. Chandler is an exceptional athlete with a story to tell, it would be nice to really examine his position in the sport and his life outside the cage on a more comprehensive level. Just the same, it’s nice to see a high caliber competitor not signed with the UFC receive some attention.

The film wisely circles back to Rashad Evans, where we started, and we learn more of Rashad’s past; life was always a fight, from parental disciplining to older brother enticed street fights. We learn a lot of Rashad, and that’s a good thing, as Evans has not only been a staple of the sport for years, he’s a decent family man who endured a rough and impoverished upbringing and turned it into a respectable and successful profession.

And moving on from Evans, we circle back to Jones and his position in the sport. If there’s any outlet that might convince hardcore fans that Jones, while flawed, isn’t the malicious menace the media would have some believe, it's this pic. Don’t get that confused, as Jones admits to utilizing some dirty tactics, but he offers a believable response to those issues.

Jones and Daniel Cormier’s fight soon becomes a focus of the documentary, and we’re given an unbiased enough look at their feud to realize that neither man is completely at fault, and neither man is free of wrong doing. In the build up to their clash at UFC 182 both men lose a bit of their control, which only intensified their eventual collision. While Cormier likes to play the innocent role, his competitive drive does indeed lead to the occasional unsportsmanlike conduct.

We take a break from Jones’ drama and move back once more to a look at McMann and her looming bout with Miesha Tate. We also learn of the unfortunate passing – a vehicle accident – of McMann’s fiancé’s passing. And we get a reminder that fate can change life plans on the drop of a dime. It’s an emotional point of the film – the most thus far – and it’s difficult to watch, as no one wants to lose their loved one.

One of the more intriguing moments of the documentary arrives when “Big” John McCarthy, longtime and highly respected referee gets the chance to voice his opinion and his disdain for not being able to intervene in early fights; he was forced to watch men beaten well beyond defeat, but because of existing “rules” he was not allowed to intervene unless a fighter’s corner or the fighter himself signaled that he’d had enough. It was brutal enough to make McCarthy never want to referee another event. Ultimately however, rules were adjusted and referees were given more control over the fight, which has led to McCarthy’s continues involvement in the sport – a good thing, as though McCarthy isn’t a perfect referee, he’s unquestionably one of the best in the business.

We soon circle back to Guymon, and one of the big points of focus is his depression. It’s clear that Guymon has some psychological issues, and it’s sad to see. Injuries ravaged the man, and while it’s understandable, given his profession, it’s melancholy. It hurts when you really think about the man’s position in the sport. He’s a good guy, and it’s sad to see him battling the demons in his head. It’s even more brutal to know that he’s hit such a low that he’s attempted to commit suicide. No one wants to see a good human being hit such lows, but Guymon hit them, and it hurts to see it; when Guymon’s tears begin to flow, it’s hard to control your own, as a viewer. Guymon deserves to live a good life, to see that he’s struggling – quite frankly – sucks.

One of the interesting things about this documentary is Tito Ortiz’s involvement. Ortiz is a notoriously dreadful talker. He regularly fumbles over himself, but, for the most part, he’s well-spoken in this documentary, and for that I commend the man. He’s a pioneer and even if he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed, he’s put his work in and his work has been admirable.

About midway through the documentary Gary Goodridge is introduced, and if you’re familiar with Goodridge’s career (which I hope you are, as he was a spirited competitor who always showed up to give the fans their money’s worth) you know his fate has not been kind. The brain damage he’s sustained is severe, and it has effected the man’s future in a terrible way. To see such a vibrant spirit being extinguished before your eyes should invoke a very real degree of pain. And this documentary really hammers home the toll that MMA took on Goodridge’s present and future existence; it’s not pretty for “Big Daddy” and that stings on a very real level.

IF there’s any moment in this documentary that may bring tears to the corner of your eyelids, it’s Gary’s segment. I have no shame in sharing with you that I shed a few tears when getting a look at the inside of Gary’s life. It’s sad, and that is not lost on Goodridge.

Moving away from Goodridge, we get a little insight from a few politicians. And while the general voice seems to sound in negative fashion, certain reasoning is brought to the surface that really makes sense, even to a 20-plus year fan. I love MMA as much as the most dedicated fan out there, but there are a few political opinions that do make some sense to me, as much as I’d prefer they didn’t. But I don’t want to linger on politics too long, I just felt it was a relevant point of the documentary, and ignoring some of these opinions – whether I like them or not – certainly seems to be an injustice.

The final frames of the documentary circle back around to everyone who has taken on focus over the last 100 minutes. And it doesn’t end on the highest note. The latter moments spend time highlighting the financial problems of the sport, and it’s interesting for a number of different reasons. There’s plenty of praise of for Dana White (who is curiously absent from the entire documentary, which may say a lot), but there’s also a lot of negativity aimed in the man’s direction, though it must be noted that there aren’t very many blatantly insulting comments made about the man, which frankly seems miraculous.

The documentary ends after essentially coming full circle with focus on Jon Jones and Rashad Evans. Jones rides high while Evans battles potentially career ending injuries. It’s depressing, plain and simple. But it isn’t the bout with Rashad that is highlighted in the final moments, which is a respectful maneuver on the part of the filmmaker, it’s his bout with Cormier (and yes, some of Jon’s out of competitions are documented as the film winds down, which seems more than rightful) that wraps things up. Jones is an upbeat character, given his out of competition status, but it’s best to keep the head high, and Jones has still not genuinely lost his title, despite the fact that Cormier is the reigning champion of the 205 pound division.

I’ve seen a lot of MMA documentaries, and some are great while some are dreadful. The Hurt Business ranks among the stronger films out there, though it feels a little cramped. Focusing on a few less characters would have afforded some stronger focus on some very relevant fighters, but I can also see the importance of focusing on a few of the individuals who aren’t sitting so pretty with one of the larger promotions out there. If you look into The Hurt Business and expect the highs and lows; it isn’t perfect, but it’s perfectly emotional, and ironically, that’s one of the things I appreciate most of this sport.

Rating:4/5
 
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Thanks for the overview. I was thinking of watching it.
 
I'm not the fastest reader, pretty sure I could watch the movie quicker than I could read what you just posted. But you gave it a 4/5, so I'm assuming that you think it was a good watch. Curious to see the opinions of other people that have watched it. Is it worth watching? Yay or Nay.
 
Made for a great read but I just don't give a shit about the topic
 
I am a quick reader and appreciate that you saved me an hour and a half of actually watching the documentary. I disagree with you on Gary though. Sucks to be him but i have 0 sympathy. He could have gotten a normal job like the rest of us selling cars, warehouse, etc instead of getting his brains bashed in. He did that for himself because it was convenient at the time, not for the fans. Now his loved ones have to pay the price caring for him over his sorry ass decision. Those are the ones I'm sad for.
 
Good docu watched it The other week,you writing all that is ridiculous though.
 
Thanks for the heads up. Nice review, a little long but thorough.
 
I am a quick reader and appreciate that you saved me an hour and a half of actually watching the documentary. I disagree with you on Gary though. Sucks to be him but i have 0 sympathy. He could have gotten a normal job like the rest of us selling cars, warehouse, etc instead of getting his brains bashed in. He did that for himself because it was convenient at the time, not for the fans. Now his loved ones have to pay the price caring for him over his sorry ass decision. Those are the ones I'm sad for.

i dont think it works that way for fighters. i think they fall in love with it, and i dont think it's easy to walk away. did he do it for himself? absolutely, but i think it's harder not to do something for yourself if you're in love with what you're doing..
 
At first i was like....<{hfved}> "i aint reading all that shit"
But then as i started reaing i was like...<5>
Well written, man. I'll be checking this out when i get the chance
 
Didn't think I would make it to the end, but you managed to keep me interested. I have to say, you're a pretty good writer.
Don't know if you're looking for critique, but the only thing that really bothered me was using some expressions a bit too much, like "circle back", but maybe that's just me.
 
I didn't like it that much. Directing was pretty bad, fighters talked about irrelevant things and there was some unrequired hype. They should have taken completely different approach in my opinion. Less unnecessary talk - more footage of hurt fighter's life and rehabilitation. They should have shown us, what it really means to be hurt and how the fighters proceed with healing their injuries.

It just seemed too vague in my opinion. It's too clear that the documentary is targeted towards casual audience.
 
I've watched it, and liked it. Better than other MMA related documentaries.

TS seems to be a very "emotional" guy.
 
Good review. My opinion why the director chose to focus on so many fighters is to show us the many micro facets of the "hurt business" rather than making the documentary a biographic film about the lives of fighters. If my opinion is correct, then I can understand why the film doesn't go in depth with each fighter's life as you mentioned you wish the film had. In that regard, I enjoyed the documentary and appreciate the time you took to write such s thorough review.
 
I skimmed through OP because of length, and to avoid spoilers (lol I know). Well written , and I will give it a shot when I have the chance.
 
I watched 30 minutes on Wednesday an the last 15-20 last night. I enjoyed it. Probably the most well known MMA athletes ever in a single documentary. I didn't even know who was in it.

I went in expecting nothing, came out happy i watched.
 
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