Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist Offers A Vibrant Retelling of Atlanta’s Biggest Heist
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist, based on the true crime podcast, follows the infamous story of how an armed robbery on the night of Muhammad Ali’s historic 1970 comeback fight changed not only one man’s life but ultimately transformed Atlanta into the “Black Mecca.”
When a hustler named Chicken Man hosts an afterparty to celebrate the fight with a guest list of the country’s wealthiest, the night ends with the most brazen criminal underworld heist in Atlanta’s history. Suspected of masterminding the crime, Chicken Man is hellbent on clearing his name, but must convince his old adversary J.D. Hudson, one of the first Black detectives in the city’s desegregated police force, who is tasked with bringing those responsible to justice.
Being based off a true historic event, there are a lot of real life people that needed to be emulated on screen for Fight Night. I think that’s what gave this show it’s one major drawback — to no fault of their own — which was too many characters. This is a complex story to tackle and, while it was hard to follow the revolving door of characters the first few episodes, I soon was accustomed to their eccentricities that allowed me to differentiate and connect with them all quickly. The show centers around Chicken Man, played by Kevin Hart, and J.D. Hudson, played by Don Cheadle. They’re two vastly different characters, making for an incongruous story at first. But, as the show goes on, its characters and story gel together perfectly, making this an authentic, vibrant retelling of Atlanta’s biggest heist.
The story itself is enough to entice most viewers, but its heavy weight cast certainly brings in the remainder. The script alone gives audiences an inside examination into the thoughts and motivations behind these characters most never would have known about beforehand, but it’s the performances from the masterful cast that drive home the severity and impact of what went down the night of October 26, 1970. Hart delivers a genuine, undisputed performance alongside Taraji P. Henson who captivated me from the get go. The duo are a match-made in television heaven. Henson and Hart play characters wrought with nefarious backgrounds, yet they provide depth to their respective personas that allow the audience to connect with them, giving a holistic view of the heist at hand. While Cheadle also portrays a jarring character, his motivations lay on the lawful side. Cheadle is able to create immediate tension between his and Hart’s character while simultaneously showing a soft, family man side.
While dramatic retellings of true events seem to be nearing toward a cliched genre, Fight Night’s strong standalone story separates it from the rest. It strays from the formula we tend to constantly see of long, drawn out scenes that are tense and far removed from the outside world, and even more so, far removed from any other entities that were involved as well. Fight Night drew me in because it was immersive and entertaining all while telling the true story. The inclusion of J.D. Hudson’s storyline allowed me to look at the heist from a different perspective I wouldn’t have had otherwise. I was able to get out of the crime bubble and look in. It felt like creator and showrunner Shaye Ogbonna was building a world the audience could live in more so than one particular blip on a timeline. Yes, it’s based on true events, but the characters, divisive timelines, dialogue, and set design drew me in and kept me there. The flashy 70’s aesthetic that flashed across my TV screen in the opening credits are also a part of the many minor details that led to this feeling.
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist is an ode to 70s Atlanta and offers a vibrant retelling of the history that transformed it into the “Black Mecca.” Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist is now streaming on Peacock.
