An Incredible Motion Picture....

Rating: 10/10 (12 October 2005)

I've always thought that the greatest sports films focused less on the actual sports and more on the various plights of the principals. Obviously, Ron Howard agrees with this sentiment. He has presented extraordinarily choreographed fight sequences(probably the most realistic fight scenes put to screen!) but with the bulk of "Cinderella Man"'s screen time, we are given a foray into the hardships of James J. Braddock and his family. We are also given a view of the starkly contrasting lifestyles of those that were able to escape the "Great Depression"'s poverty; men like boxing champion Max Baer and New York boxing promoter Jim Johnston. The two worlds those characters embody collide in a climactic ending duel for the heavyweight championship of the world. Considering his three prior hand fractures and rib injuries incurred during a car accident AND the fact that his opponent Max Baer literally killed two of his previous opponents, James J. Braddock may have been the greatest underdog in organized sports. This film tells his story and it tells it well. Thomas Newman contributes yet another incredible score.