Outstanding film, enormously authentic

Rating: 10/10 (13 July 2005)

One major point of controversy on this film was its apparent demonizing of Max Baer, in particular, the restaurant scene where Baer almost gloats over killing two men in the ring. In fact, for the rest of his life, he wept or got teary whenever Frankie Campbell's name was mentioned; he lost all his passion for boxing when Campbell died; and never again fully opened up on an opponent.
It is also hard to imagine Baer, playboy that he was, openly propositioning Braddock's wife. Not impossible, but I would think it unlikely. Max Baer was an enormously gifted but inconsistent fighter, and preferred to play the clown; but, by all accounts he was a nice man, tender-hearted and loving. Otherwise, he is captured authentically, and for weeks before the fight he belittled Braddock publicly, until he read the relief story and realized the caliber of opponent he was about to face.
Also reproduced authentically are the fights. Ron Howard took great care, not only to tell the story accurately, which he did, but to choreograph the fights according to how they really went. I have the Baer-Carnera and Baer-Braddock fights on DVD, and Howard reproduced them very accurately, including the fouls Baer committed during the fight (three rounds were taken away from Baer for low blows and back-handing, and he back-handed other fighters as well, including Max Schmeling). And, in some of his fights, you can see him bowing and waving to his opponent at the end of a round as he did in the film.
I am a fan of authentically accurate films, something Hollywood has produced far more of in the last three decades; and this is the most authentic I have ever seen. It is wonderfully written, beautifully directed, and superlatively acted. And, it's a true story.
Do not miss it.