Unlicensed (2025)

-Written by Kyle Bain. 

After serving time for insider trading, Danny Goode (Mark Hampton) must assimilate back into the real world--one where he’s slowly losing his wife and son. When times grow ever tougher, Danny decides to fight in an Unlicensed boxing match, hoping that the potential winnings will be enough to save him. 

We’ve seen this before. The former convict faced with a post-incarceration dilemma, one that will likely alter their life forever. Unlicensed doesn’t do much to thwart viewers’ expectations or to insert originality into the narrative. This relatively simple journey is enough to entertain, but it feels that there was so much potential left on the table that it feels impossible not to be disappointed.

Narratively, Unlicensed leaves so much to be desired. There isn’t enough emotional weight, it lacks originality, and the relatively slow pacing only exacerbates those aforementioned flaws. So, how did I manage to stay attentive for nearly an hour and a half? The short answer: the sound. The sound design, the score, and the soundtrack work hand in hand with one another to strengthen that narrative, to heighten the intensity, and to bring the pace up to a much more manageable speed. I felt fully immersed in Danny’s world, as if his experiences were happening all around me--and, again, it’s the sound that has the ability to heighten these moments. 

Every predicament in which Danny finds himself throughout the film is self-inflicted. Not only that, but he further aggravates these dilemmas for no reason at all. Each and every decision that Danny makes is nothing more than a plot device, a ploy to keep the narrative moving. Unlicensed lacks any real emotional vigor or depth, and the uber-simplicity of the plot coupled with thin and obvious plot devices are the primary reason why this film fails to reach viewers in this regard. 

I never became invested in the plot, never felt a connection to the characters. Unlicensed is one of those films that I’ll forget in a few weeks. It’s easy to shut your brain off while watching this film; and while that can be appealing to many, it’s lacking in nearly every department (with the exception of sound) and will struggle even to fall under the category of “fun,” making Unlicensed a tough watch and an even tougher sell. 

Written & Directed by Mark Hampton. 

Starring Mark Hampton, Sarah Diamond, Mark Tunstall, Jack Newhouse, Matt Ray Brown, etc. 

5.5/10 = WORTH WATCHING, BUT YOU’VE BEEN WARNED