Directed by:
Ron HowardCinematography:
Salvatore TotinoComposer:
Thomas NewmanCast:
Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger, Paul Giamatti, Craig Bierko, Paddy Considine, Bruce McGill, Rosemarie DeWitt, Chuck Shamata, Ron Canada, Fulvio Cecere (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
In a time when America needed a champion, an unlikely hero would arise, proving how hard a man would fight to win a second chance for his family and himself. Suddenly thrust into the national spotlight, boxer Jim Braddock would defy the odds against him and stun the world with one of the greatest comebacks in history. Driven by love for his family, he willed an impossible dream to come true. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (12)
Ron Howard takes a risk this time in playing games with viewers’ trust, and he finds even greater success than last time in terms of emotional tension. During the final match, I felt the blows that Braddock takes just as much as his wife and I could tell from the viewers around me that I wasn’t alone. Russell Crowe is truly excellent.
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I can't quite understand how I could accept Howard's stereotypical combinations of blows finished off with uppercuts, but he was reliably able to knock me to the ground right when it was needed. I find it difficult to argue why this film is so impressive with all its transparency and clichés. Maybe it's thanks to Russell Crowe, who once again proves that he plays white Hollywood heroes better than anyone else. Maybe it's the grateful blend of a social motif with the male-symbol motif. The fact is that I watched James J. Braddock's duels whilst holding my breath, literally glued to the screen. Yet it is not a biographical film, but rather it is a Rocky variation transplanted into the times of the economic crisis of the 1930s and given the necessary "based on a true story" line. The fact is that the joy of using well-established schemes literally seeps from Cinderella Man, the joy of telling a story using the most proven means. I had similar feelings, for example, while watching Zwick's The Last Samurai. One simply knows what will happen in the next few seconds and enjoys how well it is done. A feature film by the numbers that knocked me out...
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Being a boxer during the Great Depression definitely paid off. A person had a job. It just required being a successful boxer. James J. Braddock was a successful boxer before the Great Depression, but multiple fractures in his killer right hand led him to give up boxing, or rather, he only received very bad matches. He only secured a job when he was lucky and they happened to have an opening at the docks. It wasn't easy, especially when he had to raise three children and also support his wife. After another lost match, when he broke his hand again, he was told that there was no longer any interest in him. He didn't give up, but luck brought him his manager. He arranged a fight for him against a young champion who needed a little sharpening. Surprisingly, there was no major defeat for the old champion, but his victory. And the star begins to rise again. This is exactly the story that Ron Howard could make a film about. A story full of emotions and pathos, and he's not afraid to shove even more of it in there. It's a bit of a shame. If it wasn't so terribly pathetic, it would be an even better film. Russell Crowe, whose name I couldn't remember for a long time, once again shows what a great actor he is, Renée Zellweger simply fits the role. Paul Giamatti is often like he's from another dimension - an underrated actor. Someone once wrote that there are no bad boxing movies. I have to agree. There is something about them that simply interests the audience. No matter how many sequels "Rocky" had, I enjoyed each one. "The Heavyweight" is also a film that caught my attention, if only it wasn't so terribly pathetic. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/10/ztraceno-v-prekladu-4-bratri-na-dotek.html
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The craftsmanship is very good and Russel Crowe’s excellent performance is so impressive that I ended up liking this film, even despite the shallow script; really, it lacks all depth and only plays a cynical game with the viewer’s feelings (Braddock is losing his strength, remembers a suffering child and wins… WTF). The poignant and pathetic scenes take so much time that they leave no room for any surprising twist (the story gets started, aims forward, speeds up a couple of times and doesn’t slow down even once). But I didn’t get bored, the final fight does generate some tension and I ended up satisfied. 7/10
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Ron Howard is slowly starting to get on my nerves, his sterile academic direction may deliver Oscars, but not my recognition. Here, he follows well-trodden paths and mixes exactly those ingredients (determination, family, friendship) that work for American viewers, but I refuse to fall for it again. It is a skillfully shot, well-crafted, and superbly acted film, without any hint of directorial invention, which probably has the best-shot boxing fights I've had the opportunity to see, but they mean absolutely nothing when compared to the clichés and predictability of every other shot.
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