Bruised Ending Explained

Bruised Ending Explained

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Bruised is a mixed martial arts drama directed by veteran actor Halle Berry. And despite its formulaic story, Bruised delivers a touching ending.

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Bruised Ending Explained

Warning: the following contains SPOILERS for Bruised.

The Bruised ending provides a happy albeit bittersweet resolution to Halle Berry’s Jackie Justice. A mixed martial arts drama, Bruised is the first film to be directed by veteran actor Halle Berry, who also stars in the film as disgraced MMA fighter Jackie Justice. After its initial release in 2020 and its Netflix release in November 2021, Bruised has received mixed reviews. While Bruised has been described by critics as formulaic and stuffed with sports movie cliches, those same critics have also praised Halle Berry’s portrayal of the dark and conflicted character, as well as her ability to craft such a compelling narrative from a simplistic and straightforward story.

Indeed, nothing about the plot of Bruised is inherently groundbreaking. After Jackie Justice literally runs away from the octagon during a UFC fight, she works as a cleaning lady to make ends meet. However, when Justice is suddenly faced with the responsibility of taking care of Manny (Danny Boyd), her six-year-old son whom she abandoned, she regains the confidence to once again train to fight competitively in the octagon. Digging from the same vein as other sports drama films like Warrior, Million Dollar Baby, and the Rocky series, Bruised is the definitive triumphant underdog movie about the world of elite female MMA.

The Bruised ending finished the film on a bittersweet note as each of the main characters successfully make the most of the cards that they’re dealt. This serves to lend more realism to the fictional story of Jackie Justice. Moreover, despite Bruised’s formulaic plot, Halle Berry succeeds in delivering a smooth and touching conclusion to her directorial debut. Here’s everything that happened in the Bruised ending, explained.

How Did Jackie Justice Lose The Championship Fight Against Lady Killer?

Bruised Ending Explained

Bruised crescendos during the fight between Jackie Justice and Invicta FC women’s bantamweight champion Lady Killer, who is played by real-life veteran MMA fighter Valentina Shevchenko. Lady Killer almost finishes off Justice in the first round, echoing what happened in the UFC fight that Justice ran away from. Apart from Berry’s dramatic performance as Justice, the realistic depiction of MMA fighting in Bruised is one of the movie’s core strengths, and it’s in full display during this final fight. In the later rounds, Justice’s training pays off as she gets the upper hand with superior grappling, even managing to almost win by submission had Lady Killer not been saved by the bell. However, in the end, the split decision victory is handed to Lady Killer, who retains her championship.

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This is actually a common occurrence in championship MMA fights wherein the contender gets the upper hand. Justice definitely dominated the fight in terms of submission attempts. But Lady Killer’s striking and ground defense also effectively prevented Justice from securing the win. And in the world of MMA, championships are rarely won over split decisions, and forcing the referee to stop the fight in the contender’s favor is essentially the only clear-cut way for any contender to become a champion. This is what makes Halle Berry’s Bruised so realistic. The way Jackie Justice lost to a split decision, despite dominating throughout most of the fight, shows just how cutthroat the world of competitive MMA can be. Moreover, it’s also a realistic depiction of how fighters don’t necessarily need to win fights in order to prove themselves as top contenders.

Jackie Justice Lost The Fight Against Lady Killer But Won Back Her Dignity In The Octagon

Bruised Ending Explained

Although Justice lost what is essentially the biggest fight of her career, she also showed the world that she can stand toe-to-toe with one of the greatest fighters in the world – even though she hasn’t fought professionally for the last 4 years. This shows that Justice has successfully overcome ring rust, which is when fighters are less sharp in the octagon due to not competing for a long time. More importantly, Justice never runs away during the fight, even when she was being dominated by Lady Killer’s superior striking.

As MMA trainer Bobbi Buddhakan (Sheila Atim) helped Justice to realize, the infamous incident in which Justice ran away from a UFC fight after the first round only happened because Justice was distraught after abandoning her son Manny. And because Justice made her best efforts to take care of her son, and even took small steps to reconcile with her mother, Justice became mentally and emotionally free to once again pursue her true passion: fighting in the octagon. It’s no secret that Justice’s fighting career is a metaphor for her life as a single mother. Both in the octagon and in her new life with Manny, Justice hasn’t secured the championship yet. But despite the odds stacked against her, Justice is making good progress.

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Did Jackie Justice And Bobbi Buddhakan Get Back Together?

Bruised Ending Explained

After Justice breaks up with Bobbi Buddhakan, the trainer leaves and takes a bottle of liquor with her. Like many of the main characters from Bruised, Buddhakan suffers from alcoholism, and the results of her relapse are revealed when she shows up at Justice’s hotel room with her right arm in a cast. It’s unclear whether or not Justice and Buddhakan get back together. However, they do seem to be ready to become friends again. Considering how Justice has returned to the MMA world as a top contender, she will likely need to spend more time with Buddhakan in order to perfect her skills for future top-billed fights. And this could, at some point, rekindle the romance between the two after the Bruised ending.

What Happens To Jackie Justice And Her Son Manny?

Jackie Justice and Manny don’t know where they’re headed. But with Manny finally speaking his first words to Justice, and Justice finally having the means and determination to take care of her son, it’s safe to assume that the two get a happy ending. Although Bruised isn’t exactly the most original movie in Netflix’s November 2021 lineup, it certainly succeeds at fleshing out a compelling and touching underdog sports drama. Despite the criticisms and mixed reviews of Bruised, Halle Berry’s directorial debut is a promising start for the veteran actress. Much like Jackie Justice and Manny, the future seems bright for Halle Berry’s career as a film director.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/bruised-ending-explained-halle-berry-mma-netflix/

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