These three new sports dramas punch above their weight

NEW YORK (AP) — The sports movie, like any genre, can easily fall victim to overly familiar story beats. An underdog challenger. A big match. You know how the rest goes.

But a trio of new movies brings some original moves, and a few curveballs, to a genre where tried-and-true formula often reigns supreme. In a movie year that’s already given us “Challengers” – a tennis movie that has almost nothing to do with tennis and everything to do with the dynamics of a threesome – these movies carve out their own place in the hard knocks world of sports dramas.

Each, curiously enough, is a directorial debut by an industry veteran. And each features, among other fine performances, one of the great standbys of the sports film and the abiding refuge of great character actors: the inspirational coach.

Jack Huston’s “Day of the Fight,” currently playing in theaters, stars Michael Pitt as down-and-out middleweight boxer “Irish” Mike Flannigan. He is, like some battered boxers before him, seeking redemption. Flannigan’s once-promising career was long ago derailed by a fatal drunk driving accident. But on this day, he’s preparing for an unlikely opportunity: an undercard bout at Madison Square Garden.

“Day of the Fight” is loosely based on the 1951 Stanley Kubrick documentary short of the same name, and it’s likewise in black and white. Huston, the “Boardwalk Empire” actor and grandson to director John Huston, has mulled the movie since watching his “Boardwalk” co-star Pitt, the sometimes troubled but always talented actor.

“I had in my head this image of Michael Pitt punching a sandbag when we were on the set of ‘Boardwalk,'" says Huston. "I think his life in a strange way mimics that of a boxer — sometimes the ups, sometimes the downs. Specifically where he is in his life right now, he has the essence of that boxer mentality. He can take a punch but, guess what, he keeps standing up.”

“Day of the Fight” culminates in the Madison Square Garden match, but the movie is largely about the preamble to the fight. The movie follows Flannigan on a series of poignant errands.

“I wanted to make a film where you didn’t necessarily need the boxing match,” Huston says. “The boxing match became icing.”

The film instead evolves as an elegiac character study of a man, pummeled by life, trying to put things in order.

“Me and Michael used to speak about how you can walk into any boxing gyms and you’d find multiple stories just like Irish Mike’s,” says Huston. “These guys go through it. I think that’s probably why their world is so fascinating to us.”

CORNERMAN: Ron Perlman. Though “Day of the Fight” is graced by a several father figures (Joe Pesci, Steve Buscemi), the one that really stands out is Perlman’s coach. Perlman, the spectacular character actor, has all the gravitas and crustiness you’d ever want in a boxing coach.

William Goldenberg, the Oscar-winning editor (“Argo,” “Heat”) directs this based-on-a-true-story drama about the life of NCAA champion wrestler Anthony Robles, played by Jharrel Jerome. The film, which arrives Jan. 16 on Prime Video, chronicles Robles’ constant hardships, not the least of which is that he was born without his right leg.

While “Unstoppable” does steer toward the moment of ultimate triumph for Robles, it carefully and naturally dramatizes his long road to the championship. It’s less about Robles’ overcoming one challenge than it is about his perseverance through constant adversary. Jennifer Lopez co-stars as his mother, with Bobby Cannavale as an abusive step father.

“At a certain point, it’s a movie about an athlete who wins, so there’s going to be certain tropes that are unavoidable. And I didn’t want to avoid them,” says Goldenberg. “I just wanted to try to do them in an organic, real-feeling way. Shooting handheld was the idea that we’re with him along the journey, so you feel like you were facing the challenges he faces.”

“It was a constant battle,” says Robles. “That’s kind of how I felt going through my life, whether it was on a mat against a flesh and blood opponent or it was in my family life or the world. There was always something I was fighting against.”

“Unstoppable” is unique for another reason. While Jerome, the charismatic up-and-coming actor of “Moonlight," bulked up for the role and devoted himself to shadowing Robles, he couldn’t do everything that Robles could. For the wrestling scenes, Robles was Jerome’s body double.

“I signed on to the movie and then I was like: How am I going to do the wrestling?” says Goldenberg. “I watched so many hours of him wrestling. I thought, there’s no way I can do this without him doubling himself. He moves in a way that I just thought no one could ever master.”

CORNERMAN: “Unstoppable” is the rare sports drama to give you not just one excellent coach, but two. Because it spans Robles’ wrestling career in high school and college, we first get Michael Peña as his most devoted supporter, and, later, Don Cheadle as his initially more skeptical coach in college.

“The Fire Inside,” directed by decorated cinematographer Rachel Morrison (“Fruitvale Station,” “Mudbound”), is also about a real champion, the Olympic gold medal winner Claressa Shields (played by Destiny Ryan).

The first half of “The Fire Inside,” which opens Dec. 25, is somewhat conventional, albeit crafted with a keen sense of texture and the local flavor of Flint, Michigan, where Shields was from. It charts her rise as a female boxer leading up to the 2012 Olympics. Once she's won gold, you might even glance at your watch and wonder why they wrapped things up so quickly.

But the film, scripted by Barry Jenkins, the “Moonlight” director, then turns into something else, something more interesting. Shields’ glory is short-lived. No Wheaties box covers come for her. A tough Black woman in a bloody sport who makes no apologies for her interest in knocking out her opponent, is unappealing to marketers. As “The Fire Inside” continues in its thought-provoking third act, it asks questions less about who wins and more about who gets to be deemed “an American hero.”

CORNERMAN: Brian Tyree Henry plays Shields’ devoted cornerman Jason Crutchfield for the duration, from her first jabs in the gym to her post-Olympics struggles. Henry, a tender and soulful actor in everything, is more of a co-star than a supporting player. Of all the coaches in these three films, he’s the one you’d most want cheering you on.

This image released by Amazon Content Services shows Ryan Destiny as Claressa Shields in a scene from "The Fire Inside." (Sabrina Lantos/Amazon Content Services via AP)

This image released by Amazon Content Services shows Ryan Destiny as Claressa Shields in a scene from "The Fire Inside." (Sabrina Lantos/Amazon Content Services via AP)

This image released by Amazon Content Services shows Ryan Destiny as Claressa Shields, left, and Brian Tyree Henry as Jason Crutchfield in a scene from "The Fire Inside." (Sabrina Lantos/Amazon Content Services via AP)

This image released by Amazon/MGM shows Don Cheadle in a scene from "Unstoppable." (Ana Carballosa/Amazon/MGM via AP)

This image released by Amazon/MGM shows Michael Pena in a scene from "Unstoppable." (Ana Carballosa/Amazon/MGM via AP)

This image released by Amazon/MGM shows Jharrel Jerome in a scene from "Unstoppable." (Ana Carballosa/Amazon/MGM via AP)

This image released by Falling Forward Films shows Ron Perlman in a scene from "Day of the Fight." (Falling Forwrd Films via AP)

This image released by Falling Forward Films shows Michael Pitt in a scene from "Day of the Fight." (Falling Forwrd Films via AP)

This image released by Amazon Content Services shows Ryan Destiny as Claressa Shields in a scene from "The Fire Inside." (Sabrina Lantos/Amazon Content Services via AP)

This image released by Amazon/MGM shows Jharrel Jerome in a scene from "Unstoppable." (Ana Carballosa/Amazon/MGM via AP)

This image released by Falling Forward Films shows Michael Pitt, left, and Ron Perlman in a scene from "Day of the Fight." (Falling Forwrd Films via AP)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee officials on Thursday called off the lethal injection of Tony Carruthers, who was convicted of kidnapping and murdering three people in 1994, after his executioners tried and failed for over an hour to establish an intravenous line. Gov. Bill Lee announced soon afterward that the state would not try again for at least a year.

In a written statement, the Tennessee Department of Corrections said medical personnel had quickly established a primary IV line but were unable to find a suitable vein for a backup line as required by the state’s execution protocol. Efforts to insert a central line also failed, and officials called off the execution.

Maria DeLiberato, an attorney for Carruthers, said she saw him “wincing and groaning” while officials attempted to find a vein, calling it “horrible” to watch.

DeLiberato was addressing reporters when the governor's office issued the reprieve. She began crying.

“That’s amazing!” she said. “I’m so grateful!”

States have repeatedly had to halt executions because of difficulties establishing an IV. In Idaho in 2024, medical team members tried eight times to establish a line to execute Thomas Creech, one of the nation’s longest-serving death row inmates, before calling it off; Idaho Gov. Brad Little subsequently signed a law making firing squad the state’s primary method of execution.

In Alabama, Gov. Kay Ivey paused executions for several months after officials called off the lethal injection of Kenneth Eugene Smith in 2022. It was the third time since 2018 Alabama had been unable to conduct executions due to problems with IV lines.

Carruthers, 57, was found guilty of the 1994 kidnappings and murders of Marcellos Anderson; his mother, Delois Anderson; and Frederick Tucker. He was forced to represent himself at trial after repeatedly complaining about court-appointed attorneys and threatening to harm several of them.

There was no physical evidence tying Carruthers to the killings, and he was convicted primarily on the basis of testimony from people who claimed to have heard him confess to or discuss the crimes.

They include a man later revealed to be a police informant who told media he was paid for his testimony. A co-defendant, James Montgomery, was originally sentenced to death along with Carruthers but was later resentenced and released from prison in 2015, according to court filings.

Authorities said Marcellos Anderson was a drug dealer, and Carruthers was trying to take over the illegal drug trade in their Memphis neighborhood. Carruthers' attorneys have said their client's “paranoia and delusions” prevented him from being able to cooperate with court-appointed counsel, but the judge viewed this behavior as willful.

The Tennessee Supreme Court said on appeal that Carruthers’ actions before the trial jury were offensive and self-destructive but the situation in which he found himself was one of his own making.

Carruthers' attorneys have tried to show that he is incompetent to be executed. They claim in court filings that Carruthers believes the government is bluffing about executing him in order to coerce him into accepting a plea deal that exists only in his mind. That way, Carruthers believes, the government can avoid paying him what he thinks are millions of dollars it owes him. He is convinced that his own attorneys are part of a conspiracy against him and refuses to even speak with them, according to court filings.

The number of executions in the U.S. surged from 25 in 2024 to 47 last year, driven by a sharp increase in Florida. That state carried out 19 executions in 2025, up from one the previous year, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. So far this year, four states have executed 13 people, and 11 other executions are scheduled including one Thursday evening in Florida.

It’s not unusual to see several executions over a short period of time. Last year, four people were executed over three days in March in Oklahoma, Florida, Louisiana and Arizona. Another five people were executed over a week in October in Arizona, Mississippi, Missouri, Florida and Indiana, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

Tennessee began a new round of executions last year after a three-year pause following the discovery that the state was not properly testing lethal injection drugs for purity and potency.

An independent review later found that none of the drugs prepared for the seven inmates executed in Tennessee since 2018 had been fully tested. The state attorney general’s office also conceded in court that two of the people most responsible for overseeing Tennessee’s lethal injection drugs “ incorrectly testified ” under oath that officials were testing the chemicals as required.

__

Associated Press reporters Gene Johnson in Seattle and Sudhin Thanawala in Atlanta contributed.

Bethany Mann, right, and Pat Halper, left, both of whom oppose the death penalty, greet one another outside Riverbend Maximum Security Institution before the scheduled execution of Tony Von Carruthers Thursday, May 21, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Rev. Rick Laude enters the area reserved for those in support of the death penalty outside Riverbend Maximum Security Institution before the scheduled execution of Tony Von Carruthers Thursday, May 21, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

People talk in the area reserved for those who are opposed to the death penalty outside Riverbend Maximum Security Institution before the scheduled execution of Tony Von Carruthers Thursday, May 21, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Guards on horses are posted next to the area reserved for people opposed to the death penalty outside Riverbend Maximum Security Institution before the scheduled execution of Tony Von Carruthers Thursday, May 21, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

This Tennessee Department of Correction photo shows inmate Tony Carruthers. (Tennessee Department of Correction via AP)