New on DVD: ‘Jungleland’ pulls no punches

A heartbreaking tale of a boxer and his brother tops the new DVD releases for the week of Jan. 12.

“Jungleland”: The Kaminski brothers (Charlie Hunnam and Jack O’Connell) are in dire straits. Their story begins with manager Stanley (Hunnam) prodding younger brother and star boxer Walter (O’Connell) out of bed and getting him ready to hit the gym. An exterior shot reveals their home has been repossessed, the front entrance barred, the brothers forced to exit via the window.

Walter shows promise in the illegal underground fighting world, but it’s not paying the bills, and the brothers need cash, fast, as they owe gangster Pepper (Jonathan Majors) more than what they have. Pepper sends them on a cross-country road trip from Massachusetts to Jungleland, a bare-knuckle fight in San Francisco with a six-digit prize. The catch? They must also transport a young woman, Sky (Jessica Barden), who has more secrets than one, to a mob boss in Reno, Nev.

The script, written by Theodore B. Bressman, David Branson Smith and director Max Winkler, hits the familiar underworld crime-boss beats. But it’s elevated by Hunnam’s and O’Connell’s performances. Hunnam is the quintessential overprotective, at-times abusive older sibling, but his facial expressions reveal layers of guilt, love and sacrifice, while O’Connell’s sensitivity sits powerfully on the surface.

Tragedy strikes in equal parts from bad luck and quick decisions driven by desperation. Forgiveness leaves one brother victorious and the other down and out. Sometimes having someone in one’s corner is enough. And sometimes it isn’t.