A young man out of school, penniless, who knows nothing other than to fight and who dreams of taking his revenge on life with punches against an opponent stronger than him. This is not the scenario of Rocky– even if she openly refers to it -, but that, all in all classic, of The cagethe new series by Franck Gastambide.
The actor and director ( Medellín) delivers the first series dedicated to MMA, a combat sport that mixes martial arts, boxing and wrestling. An increasingly popular discipline in France, where it was only legalized in 2020. However, you don't need to be a fan of this sport to appreciate the series. The director indeed made the smart choice to shoot The cage as Validhis previous series which recounted the rise of a young rapper discovering the industry at the same time as the viewer.
Read also: With the series “La cage” by Franck Gastambide, MMA takes a further step towards the general public
The underside of MMA
We therefore find similarities between the two works, and certain actors like the rapper Bosh, who plays Taylor's main adversary (Melvin Boomer). Clashes on social networks, violent fights, financial corruption, shattered dreams, toxic surroundings… The entire world of MMA is dissected in five abrupt episodes.
In order to make the whole thing credible, Franck Gastambide surrounded himself with real MMA fighters, who make appearances in the series, such as Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane. The fight scenes become ultra-realistic and are helped by the performance of Melvin Boomer.
Read also: “For Jon Jones, it was more complicated”: Franck Gastambide tells La Cage, his series on MMA
The actor, who had already amazed us in the role of young JoeyStarr in The world of tomorrow unfolds its full potential here. Close to his personal history (he is the son of an MMA champion), The cage rings true for Melvin, as well as for the viewer. The open ending of the series gives hope for a season 2 soon…
Sur Netflix.
