Fighting for your life

Rating: 8/10 (5 June 2005)

Very, very good film that goes way beyond the usual "underdog triumphs against the odds" story. What really elevates the film is its visceral depiction of the Great Depression. I've noted that some reviewers have commented that the first part of the film, before Jim Braddock starts his boxing comeback, seemed slow to them. How can this be? You're watching a destitute family struggling to survive surrounded by others just like them. While the fight scenes were great in their depiction of a brutal reality, Ron Howard succeeds in portraying the struggles of the Braddock family as another brutal reality.
As for the cast, Crowe, Zellwegger and Giamatti provide the usual high-quality performances we've come to expect, but I wanted to give a special mention to Craig Bierko as Max Baer. Maybe this performance will elevate him out of screen acting's second-tier, because he is snarlingly, arrogantly great.