It seems like the boxing movie has been around for quite a
while now. I remember an early movie I saw as a child was SOMEBODY UP THERE
LIKES ME with Paul Newman. RAGING BULL found
critics loving a boxing film. And then there's the whole series of ROCKY films.
So when you hear about a new boxing film you have to wonder will it be good or
just riding on the coattails of previous hits. I can tell you now that A
FIGHTING MAN is indeed a good movie.
Sailor O'Connor (Dominic Purcell) is an aging boxer who has
seen better days. Sailor has the distinction of never having been knocked down
in his career. He may not have won all of his fights but he's never been
knocked down. After a three year hiatus from boxing he decides to go back for
one more fight. His motivation? His mother is dying and he wants to use the
money he will earn to take her on one last trip to her homeland of Ireland.
His competitor is King (Izaak Smith), a young man who has
seen bad times of his own. An ex-drug addict whose mother currently uses, King
has met a woman he loves, cleaned up his act and is expecting a child with his
soon to be wife. He needs this opportunity to move forward, to become the boxer
that he always knew he could be. It was only his mistakes and not having a
worthwhile goal that stopped him. With his new focus he could be a champion.
With this match up there is no good guy/bad guy face off
coming here. You can't simply root for one without feeling for the other. That
makes this movie something different than in most films. Where most have you
rooting for the underdog here we have two underdogs, both with equally
important reasons to want to win. That makes it different and makes the build
up all the more powerful.
The movie doesn't follow a linear pattern here telling the
tale from start to finish. It moves back and forth in time from the fight
that's taking place to the motivations and development of that fight. First off
Sailor has to convince his old trainer Brother Albright (James Caan) to be in
his corner again. Brother doesn't want to because he's afraid another fight
will be the last thing Sailor ever does. Only at the bequest of Sailor's mother
does he take the job on.
King has almost the same problem. King needs Cubby (Louis
Gossett Jr.) in his corner to help and train him. But Cubby remembers King for
the boxer he was and could have been. He was so completely disappointed in what
happened he doesn't want to take him back on. As King proves himself worth,
Cubby changes his mind.
As both of these stories are unfolding there is there are
two side stories, the first of Fast Eddie (Adam Beach), the boxing promoter who
could care less about either boxer. What he sees is money in the bank. Putting
the two boxers on the card to face one another he knows that Sailor and his
reputation will draw in a crowd. It's the reason he capitulates to Sailor's
demand for bigger prize money, win or lose. In King he sees a chance to steal
an up and coming great boxer for himself from Cubby.
The second involves Diane (Famke Janssen), a woman from
Sailor's past that we're not sure of until near the end of the film. How she is
connected to Sailor is never quite clear until that time. How their lives
intertwined and affected Sailor makes his story that much deeper than it
seemed.
It is the combining of all of these stories that makes this
a more exceptional movie than one would expect to find. The depth of character
and story create a film that holds your interest from start to finish. When you
include the acting caliber as well you have one dynamite movie. While all the
actors you have here are amazing, Dominic Purcell finally gets a chance to
shine. I've always felt he was an overlooked actor in the past relegated to
made for SyFy films. He deserves better and this movie proves it.
If you're a fan of boxing films you'll love this one. If
not, you'll still have a good time and a worthwhile rental from the local
outlet. Either way this movie is a no lose film that deserves your attention
and is worth checking out.
Click here to order.
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