Originally televised in June 1991 on Britain's Channel 4, contemporaneously with the limited theatrical release of Strip Jack Naked, Fighters is an in-depth and up-close exploration of the world of boxing in London's East End. Culled from 160 hours of video, the 101-minute documentary follows a group of prizefighters and aspiring amatuers who dream of making it big, but who can realistically expect only to make enough money to open a shop when they're washed up at 30 or 35, if they're both lucky and frugal.

Ron Peck's introduction to the world of boxing came through film; first from watching the likes of Robert Wise's The Set-Up (1949) and Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull (1980), and later from writing and casting boxers for his 1987 film, Empire State. Through pugilists Dean Hollington and Mark Tibbs who turned up for Empire State, Peck received his introduction, but it is largely thanks to their trainer Jimmy Tibbs that Peck found the conduit needed to get deep into their world.

Jimmy Tibbs is the hub around which Fighters revolves. An experienced and committed, no-nonsense trainer to many of the better fighters in London's East End, Jimmy is the embodiment of everything these young men hope to achieve. Much of Fighters focuses on Jimmy's stable of fighters including his son Mark, Bradley Stone, Roy & Jason Rowland, and Terry Dixon, as they strive to become top earners.

Peck is also lucky enough to be on hand for the attempted return of retired prizefighter Mark Kaylor, winner of the British Eliminator Title and former contender for the European (EBU) Title. Back from living in California with his wife and child, Kaylor hopes to restart his career at the venerable age of 30. Toward this end he risks everything including his life savings for one more shot.

Beyond straight documentary, Fighters includes romanticized voiceovers from Peck about his love of the sport as a spectator vicariously enjoying the thrill of the brutality, and dramatizations that mix the real lives of these boxers with the fictional lives of silver screen fighters, especially that of The Set-Up's Stoker Thompson (Robert Ryan), a 35-year-old broken-down mauler with little to show for his years but a rented room over a bar and cauliflower ears.

Peck's romanticized view of boxing receives full reign in his subsequent made-for-TV movie Real Money. Using a cast composed entirely of real boxers and trainers, and their families, and a script collaboratively created through extensive improvisational workshops with his non-professional actors, Peck fashions a story about the threshold between the worlds of crime and boxing in London's East End. Commissioned for Channel 4 on a budget of just £60,000, Real Money has the production aesthetics of Cinemax soft-core porn crossed with prison theater, and it's plot can be summed up as petty crimes and pettier squabbles. Nevertheless, there's something engaging about this troupe of non-professional actors in roles not so different from their real world experiences, and Jimmy Tibbs, the trainer featured in Fighters, really shines, demonstrating a natural talent. Though Real Money doesn't work on its own (except for ardent fans of improvisational filmmaking), packaged with Fighters it does, even if just barely.

Presentation
This review is of the European PAL-format release of the 2-disc Fighters / Real Money set from the UK-based boutique DVD label Second Run.

Video:
Fighters and Real Money were shot on Hi8 analog video (1.33:1 aspect ratio). These made-for-TV movies exhibit the common defects of the medium: digital combing, video noise, low detail, and inconsistent colors. Nevertheless, they are entirely watchable and probably look much as they did when they were first aired on television in the '90s.

The one video error likely attributable to Second Run's transfer is a horizontal line of video noise running along the bottom of both movies. Notably, this video noise does not appear in the trailer for Fighters sourced from the same master video as the feature.

Audio:
The restored original stereo recordings are adequate, though constrained in quality by the limits of the Hi8 recording format. Dialogue is generally clear and distinct from the accompanying score, though the strong East End accents may be difficult for some viewers to parse. Unfortunately, optional subtitles have not been provided.

Extras:
Second Run has included a number of fine extras which enhance the release including a booklet with an essay by filmmaker Ron Peck and criticism by boxing journalist Harry Mullan; 63 minutes of deleted material shot for Fighters; 49 minutes of rehearsal footage for Real Money and the unfilmed sequel Gangster; a newly-shot 17-minute interview with filmmaker Ron Peck; and a photo gallery for Fighters.

Final Thoughts:
Fighters / Real Money is the kind of release that could only come from a boutique label like Second Run. It's a niche release unlikely to appeal to a broad audience despite its focus on the sport and livelihoods of working-class East Londoners. Though not in the same league with much of Second Run's outstanding catalog of under-appreciated masterworks, Fighters / Real Money is worth a look, especially for fans of documentaries and improvisational dramatizations.