|
Starring |
Russell Crowe
,
Renee Zellweger
,
Paul Giamatti
,
Craig Bierko
,
Paddy Considine
|
|
|
Directed By |
Ron Howard
|
|
|
Audio
|
Dolby Digital 5.1
|
|
Visuals
|
2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
|
|
Running Time |
138 mins
|
|
UK Release Date |
January 30, 2006
|
|
Genre |
Drama
|
|
Our Rating |
|
|
User Rating |
|
Boxing films normally fall into one of two categories: they are short on realism (most of the Rocky series) or unremittingly bleak (Raging Bull). Cinderella Man is director Ron Howard's contribution to the genre, and it achieves a nice balance. Life on the breadline in 1930s America is starkly depicted, and so is the brutality of the ring; but the biography of James J. Braddock - played by Russell Crowe in an impressive addition to his body of work - is an uplifting one.
We are shown the highs and lows of his career, from 1920s light-heavyweight contender, to a washed up fighter who at one stage was disqualified for not trying, to final triumph as underdog winner of the world heavyweight championship. Howard manages to tell an engrossing tale while taking very few liberties with the truth.
By all accounts, Braddock was indeed an all-round good guy, just as Crowe plays him, devoted to his wife (Renee Zellweger, about as far from Bridget Jones as you can get) and kids. The scene where a newly-prosperous Braddock repays his welfare money might seem incredible to modern viewers; but it's a matter of recorded fact that the boxer did just that. So is the Irish-American's friendship with his Jewish manager, Joe Gould.
However the film ends without mentioning one of the shrewdest moves made by any manager. When Joe Louis wanted to challenge for Braddock's title, Gould demanded that should Louis win, Jim would receive a percentage of the earnings from all Louis's subsequent defences! Unmitigated chutzpah, but faced with white America's resistance to the idea of a black champion, Louis's handlers agreed.
In fact, my one criticism is that by ending with Braddock's capture of the title, the film misses the dramatic possibilities of the Braddock-Louis fight (the only time Braddock was stopped.) Still, there are fight scenes aplenty, and they are as good as any you'll see on screen.
Overall Verdict: The title of Best Boxing Film Ever is hotly disputed; but this is a worthy contender.
Special Features:
Deleted scenes
Ron Howard introductions
'Ringside Seats' Featurette
Reviewer: David Whippman
