The second big screen outing for MMA flavoured movies this month. Following on from the purely entertaining Cagefighter: Worlds Collide we have the more serious presentation of Huracán. Using MMA for it’s backdrop, Huracán delves into the world of mental illness and multiple personality disorder.
For the brutal world of Mixed Martial Arts fighting, only the toughest (both physically and mentally) survive. Huracán follows Alonso Santos (Cassius Corrigan) as he struggles to make it as a professional in the MMA sphere. As he lands punches and kicks inside the ring, outside he too battles – trying to overcome his Multiple Personality Disorder which manifests itself in his fearsomely aggressive alternate personality, Huracán. With help from his therapist, Isabella, played by Yara Martinez (True Detective, Jane The Virgin), Alonso prepares for the biggest fight of his life, knowing he must master himself before he can defeat his opponent.
Another film that doesn’t waste a single second of screen time and packs a whole lot into it’s run time, Huracán impresses throughout. Much more than a simple fighter A fights Fighter B and overcomes trials and tribulations to get the win, Huracán has a much darker edge to it. The mental health aspects of the film are a character within the film (With the simple of hugely effective effect of having the screen turn red when Huracán manifests) and the motives for what drives Alonso become clearer, but in the most shocking ways. The effective direction from Corrigan keeps you gripped as Alsonso’s internal battle reels you in, as the claustrophobic tension ratchets up and up to the film’s firey climax.
Writer, Director, Producer and star of the Huracán, Cassius Corrigan is an absolute revelation with what he’s created here. Eminently believable in the role of Alonso, you can feel his fear and confusion as he treads his way to his “shot” at Cain Colón (UFC Superstar and ‘BMF” title winner, Jorge ‘Gambred’ Masvidal).
The genuinely realistic feel of the film is so raw that you can almost smell the gym through the screen and the blood, sweat and tears that goes with it. The fight sequences are sparse, so anyone expecting Rocky levels of fights here will ultimately be disappointed. The film trancends the battle against an opponent as it clearly becomes the fight within that is Alsonso’s biggest battle. His trainers within the film Yara Martinez (True Detective, Jane The Virgin) as his therapist and Grégory “Cheetah” Choplin as his MMA trainer, compete not only with each other but for the battle of Alonso’s soul.
In Huracán, MMA has it’s own version of Todd Phillips ‘Joker’ on its hands here, which hits with exactly the same stunning impact and a final shot that will have you distracted for days after the final credits have rolled.
Huracán is release in UK Cinemas 23rd October 2020
