"Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist": starring Kevin Hart, Samuel l jackson, Taraji P. Henson, Lori Harvey and more

Atlanta has become known as the “Hollywood of the South” since Georgia established the most generous tax incentives in the country for film and television production. Although the city is frequently used as a backdrop for filming, very few really focus on it as a vibrant metropolis deserving of its own mythology. (Apart from a few reality series, the list essentially starts and ends with Donald Glover's namesake FX series.) A welcome departure from this existing quo can be found in the Peacock limited series "Fight Night," which creator Shaye Ogbonna ("The Chi") adapted from the 2020 podcast of the same name. The show uses a fateful evening in 1970 to explore Atlanta's growth as a hub of Black culture and prosperity, even though several of the architects of that ascent were less-than-savory characters.

However, "Fight Night," also named "The Million-Dollar Heist," does not entice viewers with the notion that it depicts "some shit that really happened," as stated in the title card. Kevin Hart and Don Cheadle play two guys who are stuck in different worlds, leading one of the most impressive casts this side of "Big Little Lies" in the eight-episode limited series. In the film, Hart portrays Gordon "Chicken Man" Williams, a hustler from the South who wants to arrange an afterparty for Muhammad Ali's boxing comeback in an attempt to impress Black Mafia boss Frank Moten (played by Samuel L. Jackson).

Williams lives a double existence, symbolized by his two love interests: mistress Vivian (Taraji P. Henson), with whom he partakes in a variety of illicit activities, primarily illicit gambling, and wife Faye (Artrece Johnson), with whom he attends church every Sunday. In the movie, Cheadle plays JD Hudson, a detective who joined the Atlanta Police Department as one of the first Black recruits following integration. When Hudson is assigned to his security detail, Dexter Darden, the fictitious version of Ali on the program, refers to him as "an overseer," which is a fitting description of how most Black Atlantans view him. Hudson's white coworkers are unsurprisingly biased.

Both of the main characters are under intense pressure when a bunch of armed robbers raid Chicken Man's party and steal from Frank and the other mafia bosses. Chicken needs to clear his name before the victims exact some vigilante justice, and Hudson needs to stop the violence before it gets out of control. The purpose of the Ali bout was to bring attention to a growing metropolis, which Chicken intended to capitalize on by offering Frank a "Black Vegas." Rather, the theft for which he has been made to shoulder the blame has made all the wrong kinds of news.

"Fight Night" is caught between a number of TV phenomena that are becoming less and less popular, such as the insane competition for IP related to true crime and the growing competition for star power. However, Ogbonna and co-showrunner Jason Horwitch have created a captivating, fast-moving series that makes the most of a packed cast. A broad approach to world-building is reflected in "Fight Night's" soundtrack of shallow cuts, which ranges from Darondo's "Didn't I" to The Temptations' "Papa Was a Rolling Stone." However, the film lacks the fine detail of more immersive Nixon-era period pieces like "The Deuce." However, "Fight Night" makes up for its spartan formula (actual tale + well-known stars = profit) with clever concepts and captivating performances.

Hart, who is also an executive producer, treads carefully in her role as Williams. The comic isn't overdoing it with a dramatic shift, nor is he rehashing his same old stupid image. As a character, Chicken Man is a brilliant choice because he is a naturally absurd character who always tries to gain Frank's approval by hatching several schemes. But as his family's and his own lives are at stake, Chicken's desperation takes on an increasingly existential quality. Hart's range is expanded subtly rather than artificially.

Almost all other actors are similarly exonerated. Reunited with her "Hustle & Flow" and "Empire" collaborators Craig Brewer (who serves as the show's director for half of the season) and Terence Howard (playing Frank's ally, Jersey boss Cadillac Richie), Henson is given a whole playset of toys to work with, including an exciting dance sequence, a mid-season makeover, and some animal prints a la Cookie Lyon. Although Jackson's portrayal of Frank is more composed and cunning than some of his other portrayals, there is still a hint of his signature explosive fury. Hudson is eventually allowed to loosen up by Cheadle, from learning to respect and cheer for a "loudmouth" Ali to joining up with Chicken on an undercover mission to find the robbery's mastermind.

The television series "Fight Night" centers on the lives of Mac Rogers, a veteran of the Vietnam War, who must relocate to a better area in order to share custody of his daughter. Under Tanya Hamilton's direction, the program is gripping and tense, with characters together by a purpose greater than survival. All of them—Hudson, Chicken, Frank, and Vivian—want to succeed and change the world. The show employs these aspirations as a stand-in for an elite Black Atlanta poised for national fame. Peacock offers the first three episodes of "Fight Night" for streaming; new episodes air every Thursday. Even with its overuse of outdated coding techniques like splitscreen, the program never lets up. 

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