A metaphor of social life

Rating: 10/10 (19 July 2008)

This film is beautifully strong but immensely cruel. The strength of the film holds in one single fact: anyone can always win one battle provided they are trained properly and they are managed properly. That does not mean they will win the world title but they can always try and win one victory. How far will they go, no one knows, no one can tell. Luckily, otherwise there would be no meaning in trying. But the cruelty is all contained too in one fact: the end of such a fight for the top title is lost sooner or later if the contender does not learn how to cheat with life and the rules or to be aware the other one may cheat with life and the rules and this contender must be ready to resist these attempts. And that's just what the "boss" forgot to teach his fighter. And she was the victim of the viciousness of the champion who did something wrong for the third time causing severe damage and eventually death. If you just concentrate on these two elements this film is a masterpiece that deserves all the prizes it got. If you want to go slightly farther and sort out other elements like the heavy reference to God and religion, you will fall into something very trite, like the priest advising the "boss" not to meddle with the fallen fighter's desire to die because then he, the boss, would not be able to come to terms with himself. This answer is so narrow-minded, so egotistic in the name of God. I respect the divine command not because I respect or fear God, but because my disobeying this command may make me unhappy. On these sides issues and questions Clint Eastwood is definitely less clear. But the cruelty of this boxing against all people involved in the business is mastered in an admirable way. You win or you die and if you lose you have to die, at least die away into non-existing.
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines