Halle Berry’s Bruised follows Jackie Justice, a disgraced MMA contender who suffered a humiliating defeat, and some may contemplate whether it’s based on a true story and how realistic it is. Jackie (Berry) cleans houses to make ends (barely) meet and suffers in an abusive relationship whenever she is presented with a chance to make up for herself both in the ring and with her family, after her estranged son she had surrendered for adoption comes back into her life. Bruised, which has gotten blended reviews, offers an investigate the coarse universe of MMA according to a female perspective.
The attention to detail may have viewers wondering assuming it’s loosely inspired by a real person, however Bruised is not based on a true story. However, the blended martial arts fights and fighters portrayed in the film are either the real deal or as close to it as possible. Berry dedicated eight months to intensive training in martial arts, including boxing, capoeira, Muay Thai, jujitsu, and judo to have the skillset of professional MMA fighters–her ribs were even broken during the filming of one battle scene. Her costar, real-life UFC ladies’ flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko (who plays Lucia “Lady Killer” Chavez), praised her in an interview, saying Berry “has a ton of force.” (via MMAFightingonSBN) The fights play out realistically, thanks to Berry’s rigorous system and Shevchenko’s support in learning the sport “in a way that would make their battle look and feel as real as possible.” (via MMA Fighting).
Past the MMA fighting and career, what makes Halle Berry’s Bruised a realistic film is its universal appeal as a longshot reclamation story. The film has been reprimanded for its formulaic structure and turns, however it aptly brings to life this inherent theme of the battle film type. Like the class protagonists that go before her, Jackie shows that one may not always beat their adversary, yet assuming a person keeps trying, success will beat a path to their entryway.