Jack Tunney's Blog, page 33
October 7, 2013
FIGHT CARD ON DAVE WHITE PRESENTS!
FIGHT CARD ON DAVE WHITE PRESENTS!
Tuesday Oct. 8th, Fight Card creator Paul Bishop returns to Dave White Presents to discuss the series along with Carol Malone, author of the recently released Fight Card Romance: Ladies Night.
They’ll discuss the content and flavor of the books along with how they’re marketing the books differently on Amazon and then as snazzy paperbacks. You too can join the Fight Card universe, and we’ll tell you how to
jump in on a very rock ‘em, sock ‘em Dave White Presents!
Put on your boxing gloves and join Paul and Carol on the next DAVE WHITE PRESENTS, Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern, then 7:30 Pacific over www.KSAV.org …
October 6, 2013
October 5, 2013
ROBERT E. HOWARD’S CORNER MEN
ROBERT E. HOWARD’S CORNER MEN
MARK FINN
The minute I stepped ashore from the Sea Girl, merchantman, I had a hunch that there would be trouble. This hunch was caused by seeing some of the crew of the Dauntless. The men on the Dauntless have disliked the Sea Girl’s crew ever since our skipper took their captain to a cleaning on the wharfs of Zanzibar – them being narrow-minded that way. They claimed that the old man had a knuckle-duster on his right, which is ridiculous and a dirty lie. He had it on his left. ~ Robert E. Howard, The Pit of the Serpent
Robert E. Howard is best-known for (some would say “forever saddled with”) the creation of Conan the Cimmerian, the invention of sword and sorcery, and also the weird western. These are laudable and important things, to be sure, but what very few people know is that Howard made a good living writing and selling boxing stories in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Primarily humorous in nature, Howard’s boxing stories featuring Sailor Steve Costigan were popular and in-demand by the publishers of Fight Stories, Action Stories, Sport Story, Jack Dempsey’s Fight Magazine, and others. They were critical to Howard’s development as a writer, both creatively and financially. And now, at long last, all of Howard’s boxing fiction is being collected into a massive, four-volume set of books published by the Robert E. Howard Foundation Press.
Iron Fists: The Collected Boxing Stories of Robert E. Howard, has been a labor of love for myself and fellow editors Chris Gruber and Patrice Louinet. We have been long time champions and defenders of these stories, for a number of reasons. First and foremost, they are about boxing – and I mean, deeply mired in the language and lore of the squared circle. Howard was an amateur boxer and an enthusiastic fan of the sport, and you can tell from the second you read one of his riveting prize-fight scenes. He really knew his stuff.
Second, these stories are funny. And I don’t mean a little bit, either. I have described Sailor Steve Costigan, the champion of the merchant marine Sea Girl, as having a heart of gold, fists of steel, and a head full of rocks. Costigan is a classic unreliable narrator, and these stories are all written in first person unreliable. The malapropisms and near-swear invective, not to mention that Costigan is just not smart enough to do anything other than punch his way clear of trouble, makes these stories a joy to read.
Not all of the boxing stories are funny, though. Howard did write a number of more serious pieces exploring various aspects of what he considered made for a great boxer. One story, Iron Man, is a veritable saga that has only recently been restored to its original intended length.
So, if these stories are so great, how come you’re just hearing about them now? Great question. All I can tell you is, blame Conan. Most people are unaware of Howard’s massive output of humorous writing – over a hundred stories, including the funny boxing and his later funny western stories. Mostly because prior editors
and stewards of Howard’s legacy felt it would be better to focus on Conan and the brooding young man who wrote those tales. Reading Howard’s humorous fiction casts a different light on the brooding loner who wrote of imaginary lands and strange monsters.
Over the past ten years, we’ve done what we could. I produced a series of old time radio plays featuring Sailor Steve Costigan. I wrote the introduction to Waterfront Fists, from Wildside Press. Chris Gruber edited and introduced Boxing Stories from the University of Nebraska Press. We pressured our friend Rusty Burke until he felt obliged (he insists it was convinced) to include boxing stories in the two volume Best of Robert E. Howard books from Del Rey.
All of those results brought more folks around to the boxing stories. We had new fans left and right. Sailor Steve Costigan began appearing in everyone’s list of Howard’s heroes when they were name checked. These were nice efforts, but it wasn’t enough, because there was so much boxing material that no one had ever
seen, and it was languishing. Until now.
The project took a year to do, and it’s the first publication to make full use of the Glenn Lord archive. Multiple drafts were consulted, and extra pieces and parts were discovered. Now Iron Fists will contain literally every scrap of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry that Howard wrote about boxing in his lifetime. Patrice Louinet has painstakingly consulted every page of text to determine the order in which these stories were all
written. His findings are published in a four part afterword. Gruber and I traded off on the introductions to the books. He got volumes 1 and 3. I got volumes 2 and 4. That way, we each get to talk about Steve Costigan, our favorite Howard hero. A few of the stories are now more complete, thanks to Patrice’s text corrections with the drafts that were discovered in the Glenn Lord archive. For completists, it’s your dream come true.
We couldn’t be more excited or proud. But Gruber and I aren’t stopping there. We have another project, related to the boxing stories, that I can’t tell you about right now. But suffice to say, it’ll be a unique and very relevant item that die-hard boxing fans won’t want to miss out on.
The foundation is currently offering the books as limited edition hardcovers. Depending on how fast they sell out, we may see trade paperbacks after that. For more information about the books, as well as a table of contents, you can visit the Foundation’s website here: http://www.rehfoundation.org/
October 4, 2013
AVAILABLE NOW ~ FIGHT CARD: FRONT PAGE PALOOKA
AVAILABLE NOW ~ FIGHT CARD: FRONT PAGE
Newark, New Jersey, 1954
Years of fight halls and newsrooms have east coast sportswriter, Nick Moretti, looking for a change. When a sloppy hustle goes bad, and Nick takes a bullet in the shoulder, it’s time to go west. Hired by Pinnacle Pictures to write a boxing movie about troubled heavyweight champ Jericho ‘Rattlesnake’ McNeal, Nick joins forces with sexy public relations gal, Dillian Dawson, for a cross-country tour to give an everyman boxer an unlikely shot at the world title – what could go wrong?
From the crackling neon of Hollywood and Sin City, through the steamy Delta, and on to Chi-Town, the glitzy dream becomes a noir nightmare, and newshound Nick Moretti is about to commit a reporter’s greatest sin – becoming a Front Page Palooka … Another great two-fisted Fight Card tale!
FIGHT CARD UPDATE
FIGHT CARD UPDATE
After the highly successful launch of last month’s Fight Card Romance: Ladies Night, we have a wonderful follow-up this month with the debut of Fight Card: Front Page Palooka from the dynamic Anthony Venutolo.
When he’s not hanging with his family, or chronicling the antics of Boardwalk Empire for the Star Ledger, the New Jersey based Ant-man inhabits Bukowski’s Basement (http://tinyurl.com/q294tyh), a blog dedicated to the Skid Row poet and all things flash fiction.
In Front Page Palooka, Ant gives us the Bogey inspired newshound, Nick Moretti – charming, yet cynical, burned-out, whiskey-sodden, and not above making sure the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing. Front Page Palooka has it all … dames, dives, and hard-punching attitude.
FRONT PAGE PALOOKA
Newark, New Jersey, 1954
Years of fight halls and newsrooms have east coast sportswriter, Nick Moretti, looking for a change. When a sloppy hustle goes bad, and Nick takes a bullet in the shoulder, it’s time to go west. Hired by Pinnacle Pictures to write a boxing movie about troubled heavyweight champ Jericho ‘Rattlesnake’ McNeal, Nick joins
forces with sexy public relations gal, Dillian Dawson, for a cross-country tour to give an everyman boxer an unlikely shot at the world title – what could go wrong?
From the crackling neon of Hollywood and Sin City, through the steamy Delta, and on to Chi-Town, the glitzy dream becomes a noir nightmare, and newshound Nick Moretti is about to commit a reporter’s greatest sin – becoming a Front Page Palooka … Another great two-fisted Fight Card tale!
As usual, we appreciate any and all blog shout-outs, mentions on social networking sites, and Amazon reviews.
Next in the ring, we have Fight Card: Swamp Walloper – featuring the return of Patrick Felony Flynn in the long awaited (at least by me) sequel to Felony Fists – along with Punching Paradise from Nik Korpon, and Fight River from Tommy Hancock.
Andrew Salmon has been time travelling back to Victorian, England, as he’s been completing our highly anticipated December offering for the holidays, Fight Card: Sherlock Holmes – featuring a stunning painted cover from artist (and new Fight Card team member) Carl Yonder (illustrator of the hardboiled skull and crossbones comic, Pirate Eye (tinyurl.com/nncquoe).
A big thanks this month to Fight Card Team member Jeremy L.C. Jones for his efforts on getting many of our publicity posts out into the wider blogoverse via Book Life Now (tinyurl.com/qax5vlr) with upcoming coverage via Venture Galleries. Jeremy is also the power behind lining up the numerous fantastic authors contributing stories to three upcoming Fight Card short story anthologies – the proceeds from which will go to authors in need and other literary charities.
Despite his own busy work schedule, David Foster has continued to produce Fight Card covers not only for our e-book releases, but also for the paperback versions (along with beautifully tweaking my efforts at .pdf interior files). Thx, buddy, we couldn’t do this without you.
I’d also like to welcome writer Kathleen Rice Adams into the Fight Card fold (www.kathleenriceadams.com).
Kathleen is an accomplished writer who will be handling the next book in our hybrid Fight Card Romance spin-off, and we’re very much looking forward to her take on Love On The Ropes …
More next month on our upcoming Fight Card audio versions from Dynamic Ram …
Till then, keep punching …
October 3, 2013
NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK
NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK!
FIGHT CARD: BAREFOOT BONES
BOBBY NASH
FIGHT CARD: BAREFOOT BONES
Korea, 1951
Mentored in the hollows of hardscrabble Georgia by mysterious loner Old Man Winter, then in a Chicago orphanage by ex-fighter Father Tim Brophy, James ‘Barefoot Bones’ Mason has relied on his fists to make his way. But it’s a long way from St. Vincent’s Asylum For Boys to the battlefields of Korea where Bones’ fists may not be enough.
Entered in an inter-camp boxing tournament by his commanding officer, Bones finds himself in a war within a war. When a tenuous cease fire is explosively shattered, Bone’s is fighting against the highest odds of all – staying alive. Can a skinny kid from the north Georgia mountains survive the hell of Korea and still have the guts to climb back into the ring one more time?
The one constant in Bones’ life has been fighting – Lucky for him… he’s good at it.
October 2, 2013
FIGHT FICTION: PUGILISTIC PULP STORIES VOLUME 1 – 2
FIGHT FICTION: PUGILISTIC PULP STORIES!
PERIL PRESS
VOLUME #1
SOCK OF AGES
FIGHT STORIES, OCTOBER, 1928
THOMAS THURSDAY
A fighting organist! From the Brotherhood Mission to the white glare of the prize ring! Punch for punch he gave, but the big sock came in the last frame, with the crowd on its feet and the referee in a daze. (4,000 Words)
SINBAD THE SAILOR
FIGHT STORIES, JANUARY, 1929
ROBERT H. H. NICHOLS
A fighting fool of a sailor, with a mania for airplanes and red-headed sweethearts—that was Sinbad! Dumb in many ways, perhaps, but dumb like a fox with that left hand of his! Another whirlwind of laughs and leather, featuring the great Roland Rigormortis. (6,300 Words)
THE EXECUTIONER
THE ALL-AMERICA SPORTS MAGAZINE, JANUARY, 1937
CHARLES PIFER
(4,300 Words)
LITTLE BOY BLOOEY
TEN STORY SPORTS, JULY, 1937
TOM THURSDAY
Blooey Mccoy and Ape Anderson fight an epic battle in cactus gulch, New Mexico (2,200 Words)
FIRE FIGHTER
POPULAR SPORTS, FEBRUARY, 1938
THOMAS THURSDAY
When You go around picking world’s champion boxers off cactus bushes, you’re bound to get stuck! (7,100 Words)
TOMAHAWK MCCLOSKEY
THRILLING SPORTS, MARCH, 1938
THOMAS THURSDAY
Dan Cupid and a hash-house brunette flatten a fightin’ Irish-injun for the long count! (4,900 Words)
VOLUME #2
THERE’S HICKS IN ALL TRADES
ALL SPORTS, FEBRUARY, 1940
TOM THURSDAY
Mike McAbner had the next lightweight champ under his wing, if only the Kid would answer the bell to
fight his opponents as fast as he answered the bell to fight a fire! (5,400 Words)
ROMEO’S JULIET
SPORTS FICTION, FALL, 1943
TOM THURSDAY
You’ve heard of historic correspondences – Napoleon’s mush-notes to Josephine, Voltaire’s letters to Frederick the Great, Joe Davies’ communications to FDR. And SPORTS FICTION won’t object to releasing the following fighting correspondence to future historians … (4,600 Words)
HERM THE GERM
ALL SPORTS, WINTER, 1944-45
TOM THURSDAY
Another hilarious fight fiasco. (5,800 Words)
CROOK, FINE, AND STINKER
SUPER SPORTS, JULY, 1949
TOM THURSDAY
When we hear that Felony Jones is around, it’s just natural to expect a whammy artist in the background. (5,200 Words)
ANTS IN HIS PLANETS
THRILLING SPORTS, SUMMER, 1951
HAL K. WELLS
When the pretty astrologer named Abigail came along waving her horoscopes, what happened to
Howitzer Hogan was unpredictable! (6,200 Words)
BUZZ BOMB CHAMP
SHORT STORIES, FEBRUARY, 10, 1945
JACKSON V. SCHULTZ
What he was contributing to the war seemed so completely futile – to him. (6,600 Words)
BISH’S TOP 10 ALTERNATE BOXING MOVIES LIST!
BISH’S TOP 10 ALTERNATE BOXING MOVIES LIST!
A cursory check of the Internet quickly turns up a ring-full of listings for Top 10 Boxing Films, most of which are as predictable as the fate of a Rocky opponent.
Virtually all start with The Professional, The Harder They Fall, and Fat City and end with Rocky, Million-Dollar Baby, and Raging Bull. The four films in-between may vary slightly, leaning either toward noir (The Set-Up), the maudlin (The Champ), or the politically correct (Hurricane) – rarely do they even consider the inspiring.
I love the Rocky films – yes, all of them, even Rocky V – because when I walk out of the theater or pop one out of the DVD, I feel great – I feel . . . inspired! Despite the predictability, I am always carried away from the mundane and made to feel, whatever my problems are, I can punch my way through. Okay, okay, so the feeling is ridiculous. I don’t care. I crave the effect like an inspiration junkie.
Million Dollar Baby is a great film – one of my all-time favorites – but it is less about boxing and more about the moral dilemma faced by characters dealing with tragic consequences. It was an amazing short story (from the collection Rope Burns by F. X, Toole) and an amazing film. It made you think – something most films, let alone boxing films, don’t want you to do. It inspired, but in a different way than the blatantly feel-good Rocky films.
For me, Raging Bull is an overrated boxing movie – overshadowed by DeNiro’s foul-mouthed performance. I appreciated the acting, but I came away ultimately depressed – not the effect I want from my favorite genre of film.
For me a boxing film doesn’t have to always end with a Rockyesque flair, but there needs to be an ultimate triumph. The Professional and Fat City are good films, but are complete downers in their attempt to show the fight game in a realistic light. Who wants realistic? Not me . . . I go to the movies to be entertained.
So, while I appreciate the movies on most top ten boxing films lists, I want to go beyond those usual pugilists and take a look at a top ten list of boxing films that ‘coulda been’ contenders . . . boxing flicks that entertain and inspire in the same way the Rocky series does . . .
Let’s be clear – After thirty-five years “on the job,” I’ve never seen a cop movie or television series that comes anywhere near real life. Doctors of my acquaintance start to hyperventilate at the mere mention of an episode of House or ER. Things aren’t any different with boxing films.
The films on my list are not going to please or satisfy boxing purists – but that’s not their reason for being. As long as I can ‘suspend my disbelief’ over the fight scenes, if they are choreographed well, and look cool . . . I’m happy.
Also, since I don’t want to have to argue with myself, the following films are listed by release date rather than personal preference.
BISH’S ALTERNATE TOP TEN BOXING FILMS
1. KID GALAHAD – 1962
ELVIS PRESLEY / GIG YOUNG / LOLA ALBRIGHT / CHARLES BRONSON
In what is often rated as one of his best films, immortal heartthrob Elvis Presley stars as Walter Gulick, an ex-G.I. who returns to his rustic hometown in upstate New York looking to work as an auto mechanic.
Circumstances cause Walter to intercede on a lady’s behalf, decking one of the top fighters in shady promoter Willy Grogan’s stable. Grogan, knowing talent when he sees it, ropes the ambitions, but naïve, Walter into taking a shot in a legitimate ring. With his loyal trainer, Lew Nyack, at his side, the iron-jawed, anvil-fisted Elvis quickly becomes the top-drawing champion “Kid Galahad.”
When the mob (inevitably) tries to muscle in on the action, the cool-headed fighter is forced to pull no punches in the ultimate bout to protect his honor and his dreams.
For this role, Presley was tutored in the arts of pugilism by former world junior welterweight champ Mushy Callahan, who appeared in the film. The reigning welterweight champion Orlando De La Fuente also appeared in the film as Ramon “Sugar Boy” Romero.
Elvis’ voice gives the romantic soundtrack a kick, and his performance as a fighter is pretty good. Yes, it’s an Elvis film, and, yes, it’s sappy, but it’s also fun. A knockout hit for the entire family.
2. HARD TIMES – 1975
CHARLES BRONSON / JAMES COBURN / JILL IRELAND /STROTHER MARTIN
Hard Times was the perfect vehicle for the craggy-faced Charles Bronson, here paired up with his Magnificent Seven co-star James Coburn, in Walter Hill’s directorial debut and first fistic masterpiece.
Bronson inhabits the character of Chaney like a second skin, playing the taciturn, ageing (Bronson was fifty-four at the time of filming), 1930′s depression bareknuckle boxer as a man literally fighting to make ends meet.
Coburn is Speed, the fast-talking wheeler-dealer manager with gambling issues. And Strother Martin is pitch perfect as the cutman, Poe, a direct descendant of Edgar Allan.
1930s New Orleans is as bleak and harsh as the depression itself. Bronson knows his body will betray him soon, but until then, he figures to let his fists do the talking – and they speak very loudly.
Bronson is one of my cinematic heroes. The Magnificent Seven, Mr. Majestic, The Mechanic, Death Wish, and many others … Hard Times tops them all.
3. THE CONTENDER – 1979
MARC SINGER / MOSES GUNN / KATHERINE CANNON
Originally a five-part miniseries, The Contender was also made available as a pared-down feature film.
Better known as The Beastmaster and for his role in the television show V: The Series, Marc Singer is perfectly cast as Johnny Captor – an amateur boxer from Coos Bay, Oregon, with Olympic aspirations.
When his dad commits suicide, Johnny decides to forego his college studies and amateur status in order to support his mom and brother by boxing professionally.
Moses Gunn costars as Captor’s trainer George Beifus, who vicariously relives his own glory days in the ring through Johnny. Katherine Cannon is the obligatory girl friend who hates boxing and wants Johnny to quit.
Guided by Beifus – a former prizefighter who believes Johnny will be the next “great white hope” – the series follows Johnny as he struggles to become a world champion.
The Contender ran on the CBS TV in 1980. Hard to find, but worth tracking down.
4. STREETS OF GOLD – 1986
KLAUS MARIA BRANDAUER / ADRIAN PASDAR / WESLEY SNIPES
This little gem about redemption and vindication still resonates with me. It is an excellent portrayal of the underdog going for glory.
The fight scenes are more realistic than most, which doesn’t give them quite the pop of other more dramatic boxing movie fight scenes, but they still work because the viewer is aware of the realism being sought.
Brandauer is Alek, an immigrant from the Soviet Union. A talented boxer in his day, he was kept off the Soviet Olympic team because he was a Jew. Once a national hero, he is now a dishwasher in the Russian immigrant conclave of Brighton Beach in the Bronx, he is angry and depressed.
Walking the streets one night Alek sees street fighting Roland (Snipes) in a brawl. Afterward, Alek gives Roland an unwanted boxing lesson. This is seen by Timothy Boyle (Pasdar) who later seeks out Alek to train him.
A feud develops between Roland and Boyle, which is only partially resolved when Alek agrees to train them both.
And what are they fighting for? A spot on the American team set to take on a Russian boxing squad.
Okay, you can see the final fight being set up even as you read this. It doesn’t matter. The complications leading toward vindication for the fighters and redemption for their trainer all drop comfortably into place, but you know you’re going to be there when the final punch is thrown and somebody hits the canvas.
5. THE POWER OF ONE – 1992
STEPHEN DORFF / MORGAN FREEMAN
From the director of Rocky and The Karate Kid, comes an almost unheard of movie based on a truly inspirational book by Bryce Courtney.
Seen through the prism of Apartheid, The Power of One uses boxing (and some astounding African scenery) as a journey for the human spirit, following one young man’s perilous quest to unite men from all races.
The themes of the film have their political detractors (the ‘great white hope’ saves the indigenous peoples), but I wasn’t concerned with the politics. I was concerned and involved with the story of P. K., an orphan outsider in Africa – even among white South Africans because of his English birthright – who uses his fists to rise above incredible abuse. Along the way he unites an entire country and honors the man (Morgan Freeman) who trained him.
See the movie if you can find it, but put the book at the top of your must read list.
6. GIRLFIGHT – 2000
MICHELLE RODRIGUEZ / SANTIAGO DOUGLAS
A smoldering, Brando channeling, Michelle Rodriguez had her breakout role as Diana Guzman, a troubled teen who gets control of her aggression by training to become a boxer. She, of course, does this in spite of the skepticism of her abusive father and the prospective trainers in the male-dominated sport.
First-time director/writer Karyn Kusama earns her chops through the compelling unfolding of events as Diane, a scowling lightning rod for sudden violence, discovers a sense of personal grace in boxing. The discipline demanded in the ring inevitably transfers into Diane’s daily life as she fights back against her difficult circumstances.
This is Rodriguez’ film right from the start. She is absolutely believable as a female boxer, in a time before women were recognized as legitimate contenders in the sport.
Rodriguez’s commanding presence makes even the Rocky-like implausibility of the film’s climatic battle work as Rodriquez/Diana is thrown into the ring against a male opponent with whom she is romantically entangled.
Girlfight is straightforward and familiar, but it was clearly made with a sense of passion and pride in the uncharted territory it represented for women at the time. Girlfight is engaging and even touching.
7. UNDISPUTED – 2002
WESLEY SNIPES / VING RHAMES / PETER FALK
After Heavyweight champion Mike Tyson was sent to prison for rape, this film became inevitable.
A high-concept movie pitch if there ever was one: The heavyweight champion of the world gets sent to prison for rape (how close to the Tyson case could they get) where he squares off against the man who ‘coulda been a contender.’
Directed by action maven Walter Hill, Undisputed is a suspenseful boxing drama with great action sequences and well defined characters. The film plays far better than the exploitive plotline on which it is based.
Hill’s self-proclaimed love of boxing is constantly in evidence as Monroe (Snipes) faces down James Iceman Chambers (Rhames) in a boxing match to determine who is the best, while an elderly mobster (Falk) pulls the strings to control a warden who doesn’t want the final match to take place.
Scenery chewing is rampant, but so it should be – this is over the top, mano-a-mano, last man standing fisticuffs of the first order.
Undisputed didn’t score a knockout at the box office, but it became a big enough cult hit to spawn two sequels.
And here is the beautiful and surprising final punch: Both Undisputed II: Last Man Standing and Undisputed III: Redemption are both worth watching for fight movie fans.
8. BLACK CLOUD – 2004
EDDIE SPEARS / RUSSELL MEANS / JULIA JONES
“The Will Of A Warrior. The Heart Of A Champion.” With a tag line like that, you know I’m going to be in the movie theater opening night.
Written by Ricky Schroder (yes, that Ricky Schroder, the kid from The Champ all grown up), Black Cloud, is an inspirational story about a young Navajo, Native American boxer, who overcomes personal challenges as he comes to terms with his heritage, while fighting his way for a spot on the US Olympic boxing team.
Black Cloud (Eddie Spears) is the name of the young Navajo man, who must take a journey of personal growth (is there any other kind?) to prepare himself for a chance at boxing in the Olympics.
There is a lot of culture clashing as Black Cloud lives up to his name before understanding his personal silver lining. By that time he’s in the finals of a tournament , squaring off against Rocket Ray Tracy, the number one ranked Light Heavyweight fighter who is planning on turning pro after the tournament.
A small film with limited distribution, worth checking out via Netflix or other DVD outlet.
9. CINDERELLA MAN – 2005
RUSSELL CROWE / RENÉE ZELLWEGER / PAUL GIAMATTI
This story of James Braddock, a supposedly washed up boxer who came back to become a champion and an inspiration in the 1930s, is just as inspiring today.
While quite appropriate, I think the title stopped the film from reaching a wider audience – being called a Cinderella Man in the 1930s had a whole lot different connotation than it does today.
While Charles Bronson’s fictional Hard Times character was beating on the Great Depression with his bare knuckles, real life common-man hero, James J. Braddock – a.k.a. the Cinderella Man – was using his gloved fists to become one of the most surprising sports legends in history.
The impoverished ex-prizefighter was seemingly as broken-down, beaten-up and out-of-luck as much of the rest of the American populace who had hit rock bottom. His career appeared to be finished, he was unable to pay the bills, the only thing that mattered to him – his family – was in danger, and he was even forced to go on Public Relief.
This was before the entitlement generation of today. Rightly or wrongly, for a man like Jim Braddock, going on public assistance (unemployment) was akin to losing his manhood.
But deep inside, Jim Braddock never relinquished his determination. Driven by love, honor and an incredible dose of grit, he willed an impossible dream to come true.
In a last-chance bid to help his family, Braddock returned to the ring. No one thought he had a shot. However Braddock, fueled by something beyond mere competition, kept winning.
Suddenly, the ordinary working man became the mythic athlete … The real 99% rose up to support him. Not only did he not let them down in the fight of his life, but he didn’t go to Disneyland afterward – instead, he went back to the public assistance office and paid back every cent ‘loaned’ to him.
Crowe gives an outstanding, restrained performance in the film. He is believable both as Braddock and as a caring family man torn by his conscious and what he sees as a man’s role in society.
This one should have you cheering. I certainly was.
10. WARRIOR – 2011
JOEL EDGERTON /TOM HARDY/ NICK NOLTE
I hear the wailing and gnashing of teeth already. Get over it! Times change.
People are screaming, “But Warrior isn’t a boxing film, it’s a MMA (mixed martial arts) film!”
To that I say, “Bunk!”
Warrior is every bit as much a boxing film as Rocky. Just because the fighters have a ground game as well as a stand-up, doesn’t mean a thing – the set-up and pay-off is the same.
That said, being a boxing snob, I wasn’t much of a MMA fan (I think the words, “nothing more than alley fighting,” may have crossed my lips, and I couldn’t have been more wrong) until I saw this film and followed it up by reading Sam Sheridan’s excellent non-fiction fight travelogue, A Fighter’s Heart.
I now understand much more about the sport and, while some of it is still just alley fighting, I can see how difficult it is at the higher levels.
Warrior is the tale of two estranged brothers. One is a brooding loner, a Marine back from Iraq. The other is a family man, a high school teacher struggling to make ends meet. Both hate their alcoholic father (Nick Nolte), with good reason, even though he is attempting to make amends.
Both brothers are fighters. Both have reasons for attempting a comeback. Both find different unconnected ways to qualify for the biggest MMA tournament ever. And, of course, both start from different ends of the tournament chart, leading (inevitably) to their face-off in the finals.
Cliché? Yes. Predictable? Yes? Did I love every second of it? Absolutely! Well acted, well written, and amazingly filmed. One of my favorite films of 2011. It should be out on video December 20th. See it!
There you have it – my choices for an Alternate Top 10 Boxing Films list, which avoids the easy and common choices of most Top 10 Boxing Films picks. With a little effort, most can be tracked down on DVD and will provide solid entertainment with a punch.
