CINDERELLA MAN
145 mins, 2005. Director: Ron Howard
Evocative, manipulative and yet so simplistic, the unwavering script and screen portrayals bludgeon you into submission. Director Ron Howard’s movie skilfully delivers that primal, heart-pounding satisfaction that is the promise of all boxing tales. An excellent drama that relies on heart and action instead of schmaltz and melodrama. The fight scenes have a stinging authenticity and, although at 144 minutes it outstays its welcome, this is Howard’s best film since Apollo 13. Superbly edited, beautifully shot, sensitively acted, and with fantastic grit and texture. Based on the life of athlete Jim Braddock, a once-promising light heavyweight boxer forced into retirement after a string of losses in the ring, it’s the story of a boxer who has known his best days and worst. The crux of the story is how he fights back into the ring to support his wife and children during the Great Depression when money and food are hard to come by.
SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME
113 mins, 1956. Director: Robert Wise
Watch the film for Newman, Paul Newman. He worked himself into peak condition for the role, lifting weights and sparring with top professionals, and his portrayal of the scrappy, often tongue-tied, but wholly likable boxer is superb. Couple this with Robert Wise’s direction – it is fast, aggressive and bright, and the picture is edited to give it a tremendous crispness and pace. He keeps the action fresh and lively, drawing excellent performances from Newman. This adaptation of boxer Rocky Graziano’s autobiography chronicles the middleweight champion’s life from his underprivileged childhood through his juvenile delinquency and his ultimate climb to the top of his profession. It’s a story of courage and dignity. Pay special attention to the first half that depicts the frenetic life of Newman’s early life – there are quotable quotes galore, power-packed performance and razor-sharp editing.
SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISCHER
111 mins, 1993. Director: Steven Zaillian
The mystery of Fischer’s talent and torment adds depth to Searching for Bobby Fischer. It’s about a young New York chess prodigy who doesn’t want his genius to ruin his life. Strange dilemma, eh? Yeah, well, but it’s an intelligently crafted celebration of introspection and decency that is perfectly realized and exquisitely acted. Most of all, it’s a thoughtful and absorbing family drama. And mind you, it takes a lot to make the story of chess-playing little boys as absorbing as this one. In hindsight, the film revolves around chess but really focuses on those precious values that make life worth living – balancing your masculine need for mastery and your feminine feeling side. The film’s simple message is that no one thing should ever dominate anyone’s life, no matter how good he or she is at it. It is about being true to yourself. Watch it for Steve Zaillian’s evocative screenplay.
THE HUSTLER
135 mins, 1961. Director: Robert Rossen
Director Rossen presses all the right buttons in this classic dark masterpiece, and the atmosphere of the pool halls is brilliantly conveyed by Shufton’s black-and-white photography. This film shows timeless struggle and is a classic in cinema. An unusually coherent and accomplished pool drama with a top-notch turn from Paul Newman, as a jaded and disillusioned player. The Hustler packs a cool punch with Newman playing an arrogant and amoral hustler haunting pool rooms to get a crack at bringing down his competition, only to land in a dilemma over his feelings for a woman. The Hustler belongs to that school of screen realism that allows impressive performances and accomplishes the basic goal of pure entertainment. It is indeed a wonderful hymn to the last true era when men of substance played pool with a vengeance, with Newman delivering line after line of crackling dialogue.