Knuckle (2011)

Knuckle (2011)

An excellent documentary film which explores the culture of bare-knuckle boxing in the Irish traveller community -- the real-life version upon which Brad Pitt's character was based in the film Snatch. Fighting is used to resolve long-running feuds between rival clans who, in the run-up to each fight, taunt each other ruthlessly by exchanging home made videos filled with expletive-laden rants about the worthlessness of their upcoming opponents.

There is a significant amount of footage of the actual fights, which are rough and brutal but, perhaps surprisingly, extremely fair and evenly adjudicated (the fights are refereed by an impartial member of another traveller family, and held at a location at which no other family members are allowed -- to prevent the fight degenerating into a mass brawl). News of the outcome is delivered by mobile phone, and the winner later returns as a triumphant hero to the clan trailer park.

Ultimately it all comes across as rather sad and futile, and the supposed virtue of the boxing matches as a means of resolving feuds appears dubious at best: the reality seems to be that the losing clan merely lies low for a while before resurfacing with a new challenge and the cycle repeats. However, it also provides a great example of the timeless "us-and-them" aspect of human affairs: you sense that, at some level, groups of people will always be most strongly united in the presence of a common enemy.