Published: April 30, 2008 12:54 pm            

Mr. Movie: Boxing movies abound

Hollywood continues to turn out good movies about boxing The sport of boxing has fallen a long way since the days of Joe Louis or Mohammed Ali. It’s hardly a blip on the sports page radar these days.

And yet, Hollywood continues to turn out wonderful movies with boxing as the centerpiece.

One of the best movies of 2005 (or any year) came out too early and was predictably ignored at Oscar time.

But Cinderella Man is a splendid film, based on the true story of New Jersey fighter James J. Braddock.

Russell Crowe may be a total jerk in real life, but he sure can act and he is just right in this film.

His stalwart wife is perfectly played by Renee Zelwegger and Paul Giamatti is surprisingly good as his manager.

Unabashedly sentimental, this film will lift you up no matter how down you may be.

A truckload of Oscars deservedly went to Clint Eastwood’s gripping Million Dollar Baby (2004). Hillary Swank is the determined protege, Eastwood her trainer, and Morgan Freeman is Morgan Freeman.

There is far more than boxing going on here, including determination, readjusting preconceptions and what true love may be.

Another excellent film about female boxers is the overlooked Girlfight (2000).

Michelle Rodriguez is stunning as a young woman determined to fight her way out of the ghetto with her will or her fists.

Her performance carries this film; the ensemble cast is effective but largely unknown.

A landmark film centered around boxing is Martin Scorcese’s Raging Bull (1980).

Robert DeNiro (Oscar, Best Actor) is solidly convincing as Jake LaMotta.

Shot in black and white, it is perhaps the first movie to show boxing as it really is.

This is the story of a certain type of man who happens to be a boxer, and a fascinating film bio of an American legend.

The kitchen scene with wife Cathy Moriarity is not soon forgotten.

I know the Rocky series became a rather lame joke after the fifth or sixth one, but please remember that the very first film in 1976 is the stuff American dreams are made of.

Talia Shire is winning as the love interest, and Sylvester Stallone really quite good before he became a caricature of himself.

Also worth a look is Requiem for a Heavyweight (1956) which is more about the advantage taken of boxers by others, and what is left when they age out.

Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason and Mickey Rooney are all quite good here.

All of the films in this column are available on video and DVD. All are for 12 and up.



Rusty Hammond has been writing the Mr. Movie column since 1996. It appears in several newspapers in North Carolina.

        

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