Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist review: Is the Peacock crime drama worth watching?

Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist just premiered on Peacock but is this new crime drama worth the watch? Find out!

Based on a podcast, Fight Night tells an incredibly true crime story. In 1970, Muhammad Ali (Dexter Darden) was making his much-hyped return boxing match after being banned for a few years for refusing the Army draft. Atlanta Detective JD Hudson (Don Cheadle) is assigned to oversee Ali before and after the fight, not liking the guy or how he’s chosen simply for being a black detective.

Meanwhile, with all of Atlanta buzzing on the fight, low-level hoodlum Gordon “Chicken Man” Williams (Kevin Hart), who wants a big payday, hits on the idea of staging a “casino night” party and invites the big players in the city to take part. That includes an invite for Frank Moten (Samuel L. Jackson), “the Godfather of Harlem.” However, a pack of local crooks decides to rob the party, scoring a huge heist. Finding himself blamed for setting this up, Chicken Man has to reach out to Hudson to help clear his name. 

The show feels straight out of the 1970s, with the opening credits boasting the old NBC logo and a terrific direction and tone. The first episodes set up the robbery and the various characters as we see how Chicken Man has to balance an estranged wife and his code of honor (he refuses to deal drugs) in a tough world. Hart shows surprising grit for the role to make it work with Chicken Man, a classic case of a guy not as smart as he thinks he is. After all, it takes a true mix of daring and stupidity to think you can impress a ruthless mobster. Yet he loves his family and his drive makes him a sympathetic character to root for. 

Not surprisingly, race is a key part of the storyline. The first episode has a lot of talk between Hudson and Ali, with the boxer claiming he knows pain and prejudice with Hudson firing back that’s nothing compared to being a black cop. However, when Ali wins his match, Hudson has a moving talk on how he never expected to see a black man cheered for victory against a white man and maybe that’s a sign of hope for the future. 

There are also discussions on Atlanta becoming a black-owned city, with the politicians wanting it to boost things up, while Moten really thinks the place can be a “Black Mecca” and paradise. It’s an intriguing theme that plays well in the show. The multiple flashbacks can be a bit tough to follow, but they appear more streamlined as we go for a tighter plot. 

The cast is excellent, and Hart and Cheadle are the main focus. Darden’s Ali comes off as a more lame impression, yet Episode 3 offers a beautiful bit of Ali and Hudson bonding over their mutual struggles and a bitter reminder of how they have a lot more work to do. Cheadle brings a fun spirit for Hudson to spark things up.

Jackson is an excellent choice for Moten, charming and then unleashing a truly dark side, letting him indulge in overacting. However, Terrence Howard is miscast as his right-hand man Wheeler, not believable as this enforcer. Taraji P. Henson is much better as Vivian, a club owner who gets pulled into this mess, and Chloe Bailey handles the critical role of Lena, who aids in the heist. So far, we haven’t gotten as much attention for Mac (Sinqua Walls) and Willie (Myles Bullock), the key crooks, but that might shift in future episodes as they realize too late who they’ve ripped off. 

The '70s feel is on display with the classic music and the production feels like it's straight out of the era. The crime scenes are as well staged as the boxing match itself and amps up the tension of a hostage situation nicely. The details are very sharp to immerse the viewer into this era.

Episode 3 ends with the fallout of the robbery as Moten is on the warpath, Hudson starts the investigation and Chicken Man has to clear his name. Between the fantastic cast and compelling tale, Fight Night is a very promising crime show that proves once more real life is stranger than fiction.

Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist streams new episodes on Thursdays on Peacock.