Frank Grillo Is Playing A Character Named Chainsaw Angus In 'Donnybrook'

You may or may not know this, but at this point, I’ll watch anything with Frank Grillo. And that goes double for any movie about backwoods bareknuckle fighting where he plays someone named Chainsaw Angus. Which is the name of his character in the upcoming Donnybrook.

THR reports that Grillo, Jamie Bell, Margaret Qualley, and James Badge Dale have joined Donnybrook, from Dark Knight director Tim Sutton. And if you thought Chainsaw Angus was all we get in the awesome names department, don’t worry, Bell plays a character names Jarhead Earl, which is pretty sweet in its own right.

Described as “Fight Club meets True Romance,” the story follows two dudes trying to get to a famous backwoods bareknuckle fighting tournament where the winner gets $100K. That’s solid.

Chainsaw Angus is described a violent drug dealer with “serious anger issues,” which I’m willing to bet occasionally involves a certain tool most often used for cutting logs. Jarhead Earl, who, based solely on his name, I assume has some connection to the Marine Corp, is a good chap who intends to use the prize money to help his family. Not the most original set up, but I can definitely roll with this. And I’m fairly certain I know who plays the hero and who plays the villain.

The rest of the character’s names aren’t nearly as fun. Qualley plays Delia Angus, Chainsaw’s drug dealing sister. Badge Dale shows up as Whalen, a crooked, drug-addled cop. Those are fine monikers, but they’re no Chainsaw Angus.

I don’t know much about Qualley’s proficiency with on-screen fisticuffs, but both Bell and Badge Dale have participated in their share of cinematic throw downs, and acquit themselves nicely. And Frank Grillo is one of the premiere movie face-punchers currently working and has plenty of faux cage fighting experience, thanks to Kingdom.

All in all, Donnybrook is a movie I now intend to keep a close eye on. It starts filming in Cincinnati next week, and that’s all we know right now.

UPDATE: It's apparently also based on a novel by Frank Bill. That is all.