![]() ![]() Mae resents this attempt by Gould to profit from her husband's dangerous livelihood, until she discovers that Gould and his wife also have been devastated by hard times. Despite Mae's objections, Braddock takes up Gould's offer to return to the ring. He believes that while his right hand was broken, he became more proficient with his left hand, improving his in-ring ability. The fight is against the number-two contender in the world, Corn Griffin.īraddock stuns the boxing experts and fans with a third-round knockout of his formidable opponent. Thanks to a last-minute cancellation by another boxer, Braddock's longtime manager and friend, Joe Gould, offers him a chance to fill in for just one night and earn cash. Unfortunately, he cannot get work every day. She cannot bring herself to watch the violence of his chosen profession, yet she knows they will not have enough income without his boxing.Īs the United States enters the Great Depression, Braddock does manual labor as a longshoreman to support his family, even with his injured hand. ![]() ![]() This is both a relief and a burden to his wife, Mae. Braddock is an Irish-American boxer from New Jersey, formerly a light heavyweight contender, who is forced to give up boxing after breaking his hand in the ring. Surprisingly imaginative, these images can be jarring enough to alleviate some of the sappy factor.James J. While slow motion lends an overt and familiar poetry to such violence, the more effective shots come faster and more aggressively (and so, perhaps worrisome for younger viewers), punctuated by crowd reactions (some almost as disturbing as the fighters' battered faces). But the boxing scenes are often stunning, deftly paced, beautifully shot, and eerily subjective. When immersed in Jim's melodrama (courtesy of Cliff Hollingsworth and Akiva Goldsman's hagiographic script), the movie is predictable and deliberate. ![]() He earns a shot at the heavyweight title, bumped up a weight class since his younger days and facing the arrogant and quite gigantic Max Baer (Craig Bierko), who once killed a man in the ring. When he returns to the ring and wins, he becomes a media sensation, a hero for Depression victims. While Jim is surrounded by supporting types played by terrific actors - good buddy Mike Wilson (Paddy Considine), mutteringly loyal trainer Joe Gould, hard-nosed promoter Jimmy Johnston (Bruce McGill) - he remains the film's emotional and moral focus, always righteous and worthy, his personal crises mirroring those of his community (one scene shows the aftereffects of a riot and police violence in Central Park, where homeless folks are living in boxes and tents). Based on the true story of James Braddock, Ron Howard's CINDERELLA MAN paints him as an inspiring, utterly sincere and admirable underdog. Both heartening and formulaic, this boxing saga is buoyed by Russell Crowe's often remarkable performance. ![]()
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