WasAnnon Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Console best movie i've ever seen.

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Adam Sieracki Unlike the simply ghastly 'Marker', this CanCon film is saved by the two leads' considerable acting talents and uneasy chemistry. Bennet's Electra complex is really uncomfortable viewing. The topless lesbian boxing angle was a bit much, though. The inclusion of this silliness, as in so many 'indie' (i.e., Canadian government grant-funded) movies doesn't qualify it to be pornography, even as it earns a 'WARNING--NUDITY' label. I'm not sure if the nudity was intended to titillate would-be male viewers, but anyone expecting a lesbian 'Fight Club' will be sadly disappointed. Aside from Sonja Bennet, the nude bodies are less than young, nubile and toned...

smweaver911 I was impressed and delighted that CityTv aired this movie on a Saturday night in a relatively prime time slot - a welcome change from the usual Hollywood schlock that dominates the airwaves. This movie courageously, if not deeply, explores some interesting family dynamics, thankfully not the usual ones. Instead of the usual predictable, boring,stifled family life anecdotes, Punch gives us a glimpse into REAL people with REAL - and interesting -problems - not the usual TV and Hollwyood fare that doesn't reflect any families I know! EXCELLENT MOVIE! The writing, directing and acting was absolutely top quality on all counts: I don't think anyone missed a beat - first class acting throughout - making these interesting characters totally believable. Thankfully, the women were all strong, interesting and compelling - the topless boxing was a welcome change from the plastic (and I mean that literally) "beauty" queens that bare - or don't quite bare - their breasts. This is part of what makes this an important movie - women come in all shapes and sizes and thanks to this movie for reminding us of this. If you want plastic tits, boys, you can find them almost anywhere(unfortunately)... 'Punch'is real and totally rocks. Every character has issues that they are actually working through, in different kinds of ways, and the exploration of the relationships between these characters demonstrates how we learn from others in relationships. Very cool. Unusual to encounter, although Canadian films seem to be good at this overall. UNFORTUNATELY, the narration gimmick was a real distraction! What was that about? I'd love to see it 'sans' narration - whatever the intent of the narrative technique was, it din't work. Too bad, apart from that, this was an outstanding film.

vincent-27 perhaps not at it's finest, but this is what having a film industry based on government grants and corporate sponsorship will get you. This is not a movie for the masses, but it is very representative of Canadian cinema, odd, uncompromising to a fault and a little too tidy. I agree with Jay Alexander review where he faults the film being too clean looking, the same subject in the hands of a Guy Ritchie or Quentin Tarantino would look much different. Looks like it was shot of digital video, but I'm not sure. At the same time this movie is unflinchingly ugly, yes it has topless boxing, but some of the women you really wish would put their shirts back on (and if you saw the film, you know who I'm talking about). However, this is something you would NEVER see in a Hollywood film, an ugly female in a positive role? fugetaboutit. You will get plenty of ugly fat men baring it all, but never women. For this I applaud the filmmakers for their boldness, although I found it very hard to watch. I also found some of the boxing scenes verging on "Rocky" territory, which hurts the presentation.The subject matter is intriguing as well and rarely explored, that is female violence against females, but not in a cutesy "cat-fight" hair pulling way, this is all out pounding the sh*t out of each other. I remember seeing a documentary about young women these days how there is almost as many cases of female bullying and gang violence as there is male, but we don't hear about it as much. As we break down barriers between the sexes, these are some of the results.Much of the dialogue is odd, and as one reviewer noted very "Hal Hartley" like, although with a Canadian spin. How many movies would you see a scene of a beautiful and well toned female pump starting a lawn mower yelling "I think the alternator's fucked" as father looks on? There are lots of scenes like this, and when they work, they work wonderfully, but when they don't they fall pretty flat. The acting is very good, although the males are portrayed as either wimpy or complete *ssholes. Meredith McGeachie does a convincing job as the lesbian boxing champion that nobody can beat, her boxing moves looked real and not like a female trying to pretend to fight like a man (as Sonja Bennett does). And is it me or does she look strikingly similar to Jerri from Survivor a few years back? Overall an interesting yet flawed film, and oh so Canadian, representing what many see as the horrible state of Canadian cinema, for others a viable alternative to Hollywood pablum.

pa28pilot My comment to my wife when we were watching this was: "This looks like a Hal Hartley movie, but everyone is a lot meaner than they usually are in his films." Punch is an interesting exploration of issues surrounding codependent family relationships, honor, and the exciting word of topless women's boxing.Early in the film, I found almost all of the characters to be somewhat excessive in their violence, stunted emotions and knee-jerk reactions to the world around them. More depth was revealed toward the end, but in a somewhat heavy-handed way. Despite this, I think Punch offers something a little different than the usual fare, at least for viewers in the U.S. (It is possible that Canadians may be used to slightly more contemplative works.) If you don't mind watching your characters develop all of the way through the film (some of the exposition takes quite a while), or are willing to pass the intervening time watching topless women's boxing, you might find it worthwhile.