Respond like an echo..

Rating: 9/10 (12 February 2015)

Although Crowe isn't a fully emotional man, & you won't see him burst out in tears on screen that often, he is a force like no other. And this is perhaps his best performance. Thankfully, the director behind this film didn't try to be clever & move away from the formula. And it works. It just works! I felt that Robin Hood & Noah were long dead in the water before Russell ever stepped foot on set. A bad movie is defined very easily, & it is when the guy in the editing room wants to be center of attention - with frenetic strobe edits, Adobe After Effects, over-saturation resulting in loss of colour etc. Or when the director puts his own "spin" on a classic story by being "original". Originality, too many special effects, & unrealistic action doesn't make a good film. A great story does. And this is truly a perfect example.
The pace of the film is intelligent & modest, the score by Thomas Newman is typical Newman cues but fits extremely well in peeking your emotions, the editing is a little choppy at times but thankfully it doesn't split up the narrative too much, but the actors are the ones we can relate to. And they did a spectacular job here. Renee Zellwegger is really something special & shines bright even up against Crowe which can be hard.
Boxing is a violent sport & is so often affiliated with rage & a desire to look good. It's not very appealing for many. But here we have a man who is fighting for love. And that's what makes this so powerful. It's also a story of hope for the underdog. I can't help feeling that in my own reconciliation with free will, this story re-enforces my belief that we can change our destiny. For that alone, it is worth the watch, even if you don't like boxing.