Best cliché you'll see for sometime

Rating: 8/10 (23 September 2005)

This film has received criticism for its use of clichés; and the clichés are here, and they are plentiful. But the production, direction, and acting breathe life into them to the extent that most of them are unnoticeable, and a few are even welcome. Morgan Freeman's character is pure formula, but to the extent that he is an excellent actor, who cares? and to the extent that this IS a "boxing" movie, where would it be without such a retired "old-school" boxer (punched-out eye and all) to comment on the nature of the sport? The fact is, the construction is so well-done that it is hard not to watch the film all the way through. And the main characters are, on the whole, very likable; we care about them.
A well-made, memorable presentation, even if we have seen these elements before.