Capsule reviews for Dec. 13

Day of the Fight

Despite its familiar characters and blue-collar milieu, this bleak character study from rookie director Jack Huston benefits from heartfelt sincerity and a committed portrayal by Michael Pitt (Last Days). He plays Mike, a former champion boxer who has been pummeled physically and mentally for years but gets one last chance at glory in the ring, which comes at great risk to his health. That prompts him to spend the hours before the fight taking stock, seeking redemption, and making amends. With stylish black-and-white visuals, the film could use some tightening yet keeps punching. The supporting cast includes Ron Perlman, Steve Buscemi, John Magaro, and Joe Pesci. (Rated R, 108 minutes).

Dirty Angels

Given the Middle East backdrop, you might expect some meaningful sociopolitical intrigue in this pedestrian thriller that’s really just an excuse for some badass female commandos to wipe out some terrorists. It centers on Jake (Eva Green), a female ex-Army Ranger who leads a team of women who pose as members of a relief organization in order to rescue some hostages from a Pakistani all-girls school being held for ransom by jihadist guerillas. The action sequences are competently staged by veteran director Martin Campbell (Casino Royale), but the mission feels overall more contrived than authentic. The cast features Ruby Rose, Maria Bakalova, and Jojo Gibbs. (Rated R, 104 minutes).

The Man in the White Van

Emphasizing cheap frights over consistent suspense, this lurid thriller is a serial-killer saga that dials back the blood and violence yet struggles to escalate the stakes. Apparently inspired by true events, it’s set in Florida during the 1970s, primarily focusing on a timid teenager (Madison Wolfe) who is stalked by an ominous white van but can’t get her own family to believe she’s in danger until it’s too late. Not funny enough as camp and not scary enough as a psychological portrait of paranoia, the film withholds the identity and motive of the perpetrator to its own detriment. At least it’s rich in period atmosphere. (Rated PG-13, 105 minutes).

Scrap

A heartfelt portrait of middle-class strife and strained family dynamics, this low-budget drama offsets mild contrivances with authentically flawed characters layered with guilt and grief. Beth (Vivian Kerr) is a Los Angeles single mother who has been sleeping in her car since being laid off. She’s embarrassed to tell her brother (Anthony Rapp), who has been caring for Beth’s daughter and trying to start a family with his wife (Lana Parrilla). As Beth stumbles through trying to start over, the sibling friction boils over. Although it could use a greater sense of gritty urgency, Kerr’s assured directorial debut is anchored by sincerity and deeply felt performances. (Not rated, 105 minutes).

Young Werther

The title character’s smugness and lack of self-awareness carries over to the film itself in this stylish reimagining of an 18th century Goethe novel through a supposedly progressive contemporary lens. Werther (Douglas Booth) is a modern aristocrat with eyes for a young woman (Alison Pill) who happens to be engaged to a powerful lawyer (Patrick Adams), forcing him to muster some hidden charm to win her over. The screenplay by rookie director Jose Lourenco struggles to provide a fresh spin on gender politics or chart a meaningful path to comeuppance or redemption for Werther. Instead, the source material is reduced to 21st century romcom cliches. (Rated R, 101 minutes).