Friday nights in the 80s and 90s were all about going to Blockbuster and finding a kick-*ss movie to watch. BEAST brings back that feeling with its old-school action energy that callback to the days of a VHS find with plenty of bloody punches.
Beast Movie Review
There’s something undeniably nostalgic about Beast. From the moment the film throws audiences into its underground blood sport atmosphere, director Tyler Atkins makes it clear that this isn’t trying to reinvent the modern action movie. Instead, it embraces the grit, bruises, and emotional simplicity that defined many martial arts and combat driven films throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Starring Russell Crowe, Daniel MacPherson, and Luke Hemsworth, Beast feels like the kind of movie you would have discovered on VHS shelves next to classics like Kickboxer or Best of the Best.
BEAST follows ex-con Patton James (Daniel MacPherson), who abandoned his mixed martial arts dream to support his wife, Luciana (Kelly Gale), and daughter. When Patton’s brother Malon suffers a serious injury in a fight to make good on his debts, Patton has to risk everything to get back in the ring to avenge him. But to reclaim his old glory and succeed in the ONE Championship, Patton must regain the trust of his ace trainer (Russell Crowe) and keep his own family together.
At its core, Beast is a redemption story built on familiar foundations. There’s corruption embedded within the sport, powerful figures manipulating outcomes, arrogant bullies looking to dominate weaker opponents, and a protagonist forced to claw his way back through violence and pain. It’s the exact formula that helped define an entire generation of action cinema, and honestly, the film works best when it fully leans into those old school sensibilities. There’s no overcomplicated mythology or forced cinematic universe setup here. It’s simply about survival, revenge, and proving yourself through fists and endurance.
One of the film’s strongest qualities is how grounded the action feels. Too many modern action films rely heavily on quick-cut editing and exaggerated choreography that removes the sense of impact from every punch. Beast takes the opposite approach. The fights are rough, physical, and believable enough to make every hit feel painful. The brutality of the blood sport environment gives the movie a constant sense of danger, and the performers commit hard enough to sell the punishment being inflicted. Even when the story slips into predictable territory, the action itself remains engaging because of how raw it feels.
Tyler Atkins also deserves credit for understanding the tone this type of movie requires. Rather than trying to modernize the genre into something sleek or overly stylized, he allows Beast to exist inside a grimy, sweat-soaked world that feels intentionally retro. There’s a certain appreciation for the genre’s roots baked into the film’s DNA. Fans who grew up on tournament fighters, revenge driven combat stories, and direct to video action staples will likely recognize exactly what Atkins is aiming for. In many ways, Beast feels more interested in honoring that era than trying to compete with today’s blockbuster spectacle.
Unfortunately, that same familiarity becomes the film’s biggest weakness. While Beast successfully captures the spirit of those older action movies, it rarely evolves beyond imitation. In a post Rocky and post Creed landscape, audiences have seen countless underdog combat stories built around redemption arcs and personal vengeance. Because of that, Beast struggles to carve out a unique identity of its own. The emotional beats land exactly where you expect them to, the character arcs feel overly familiar, and the narrative never fully surprises you in meaningful ways. It swings hard, but it rarely connects with the emotional force needed to truly elevate itself.
Verdict
That doesn’t make Beast a bad movie. In fact, there’s a respectable sincerity behind its approach that many modern action films often lack. It understands the type of experience it wants to deliver and sticks to it from beginning to end. For fans craving a throwback to the era of gritty fight dramas and violent redemption tales, there’s still entertainment to be found here. But while Beast captures the spirit of the action classics that inspired it, it never quite escapes their shadow. In the end, it’s a solid punch of nostalgia that ultimately fades from memory not long after the credits roll.
BEAST is coming to Digital June 1, 2026. It is rated R for language throughout, some violence/bloody images and sexual material/nudity with a runtime of 1 hour 54 minutes.
Reporter: Keith ‘Klep’ Napier. He is the CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Critix. You can find his reviews, interviews, and other cool works at WeAreCritix.com, as well as on social: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube.
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