Hope of a Nation

Rating: 9/10 (30 June 2005)

Boxing movies have been around for a while. The Rocky collection of movies really kicked things off for the genre. Raging Bull came after and Ali followed suit. All have great stories and show what it means to be a contender. Each has they're own style that works. Ali had intense fighting scenes and Rocky utilized the montage to perfection. Director Ron Howard has expanded on the genre again.
Howard's Cinderella Man starring Russell Crowe as the boxer Jimmy Braddock is one of his best films so far. With great acting and a story that really hits home, movie goers will not be disappointed. Crowe's performance is breathtaking as the working man's fighter. His Jersey accent and presence on screen is astounding. His acting is complemented with his leading lady Mae played by Renee Zellweger. The chemistry between these two shows real compassion during what is one of the darkest times in US history, the Great Depression.
Braddock is trying to find work and a fight with the help of his trainer Joe Gould, played wonderfully by Paul Giamatti. Gould isn't a rich man but he doesn't do too badly either. He supports Braddock whenever he is in trouble. He gives him a knock about something else to take his mind off of something troubling. These two men will ultimately be apart of one of them most inspiring and compelling stories in all of sports. of Braddock's rise back to the top has left its mark on the boxing world forever.
Along with great acting comes great film making. The cinematography especially, during the fights, is extremely realistic. Sometimes it feels like the audience is taking the punches. Outside the ring Howard uses a lot of symbolism to convey the feelings and emotions only those who lived through the Great Depression could feel. Stealing wood from a fence just to heat your home is one of the desperate measures taken by the Braddock family.
The score is impressive as well. Thomas Newman (Road to Perdition) mixes period music with the music Newman composed for the movie, depending on the situation, to emphasize the emotion Howard tries to pass onto the audience.
What Howard creates isn't just a boxing movie. He paints a portrait of a man who is feared by bigger, stronger men and loved by people of all creeds and upbringings. Jim Braddock is a great person to look up to for inspiration and with the world the way it is, everyone can use a hero. That's what made Braddock so likable. He struggled to support his family during the Great Depression, just like everyone else. He fought not only for his family and his dignity, but for every hard worker out there. They wanted they're man to win. Howard, along with the great cast, have brought a legend back to life.