GLASS JAW stars Lee Kholafai as Travis Austin, a rough and tumble kid who goes from being a ward of the state to becoming a championship boxer. He wins the big title and gets the girl, but that’s only the beginning.
After a post-fight party takes a dark turn, a teenage girl is dead and Travis is locked up in connection with her accidental overdose. Inside, Travis must exercise his primal survival instincts and defend himself against fellow inmates. A few years later, Travis is released and must adjust to life on the outside. Travis starts again from the bottom up, and trains to reclaim his dignity and his title.
Carried by a stunning performance from Kholafai, GLASS JAW also boasts an incredible supporting cast. Brandon Sklenar (Vice) co-stars as Joe, an up-and-coming fighter who becomes a personal and professional rival after Travis serves his time. Reynaldo Gallegos (Logan) plays Eddy, Joe’s trainer who shares a tragic history with Travis.
Korrina Rico plays Dana, the love of Travis’ life who struggles to cope with Travis’ absence once he’s put behind bars. Other cast members include Jaime Camil (Jane the Virgin), Malcolm David Kelley (Lost), Vernon Wells (Commando) and hip hop artist Boosie Badazz aka Lil’ Boosie in his feature film debut.
Two other standouts in the GLASS JAW ensemble are John Gries (Napoleon Dynamite) and Mark Rolston (Aliens). Gries is the tortured center of the film as Travis Austin’s gambling alcoholic of a father, and Rolston is the redemptive heart of the piece as the grizzled trainer who takes Travis under his wing after Travis is released from the pen.
GLASS JAW was directed by Jeff Celentano, a film-making veteran who has spent over two decades bringing intense thrillers to the screen. Past efforts include 1998’s Gunshy (starring William Petersen and Diane Lane), 2000’s Primary Suspect (starring William Baldwin and Lee Majors), 2004’s Moscow Heat (with Michael York and Richard Tyson), and 2009’s Breaking Point (with Tom Berenger, Armand Assante, and Busta Rhymes). With GLASS JAW, Celentano continues his tradition of telling stories about hardened individuals facing unendurable obstacles.
Sharry Flaherty of Samera Entertainment acquisitioned GLASS JAW for Vision Films, which acquired the picture for distribution and released it into theaters on Oct. 26, 2018, the same date of its VOD premiere. It was soon followed by a DVD release in December. It is now available for rent.