It is nearing 5 in the morning ... and I just finished the movie, the movie pumped me up so much, I went for a walk in the hostel corridors just to see if I could pick up a fight! Thank god other people were sensible enough to be asleep at this unearthly hour, else I would have joined the not-so-illustrious list of people rusticated from hostel (My own two roomies currently head that list! Sorry for them, I really am!)
Alright enough of this light hearted conversation.... now for the movie,
Every man has his moment, the effort you put in will be rewarded, Don’t give up! This is what the movie screams at you.... this is what the life of James J Braddock teaches you.
THE STORY IN A NUTSHELL
The movie is about the fairy tale rise of a talented yet not so successful boxer of the depression era. How he the underdog becomes the champion!
This guy is quite Injury prone, has a lot of heart, a great father, a loving husband and a very strong character. The life in the depression era is the one I believe everyone would pray never to live. The times are tough, the winter not relenting an inch, the credit is stretched to the max, jobs are hard to find, how would someone get through this??? How can one not just lose his head? How does Braddock pull through? Well I am not telling it! Pictures cannot be described in even a thousand words, nor could a story as unbelievable yet as good as Braddock’s be explained in such little a space. I would definitely recommend watching this movie.....
MEMORIES OF THE FILM
The movie starts off in the present and we are taken on the double to how it began, the start is exemplary, it draws you in right away.
The sequence in which Braddock has made his son return the stolen meat to the butcher, the kid is afraid that he would be sent to a relative as one of his friends as they had nothing to eat! Braddock promises him then and there he would not leave them.... ever.... that bears testimony to what agony people would have been through those times!
When Mae ( his wife) has to send the kids away, that jolts him back to reality, he is trying very hard, he is working with a broken hand.... but now he swallows his pride, takes the assistance of the state, begs in front of his previous employers ... he brings them back, the children are home .... That’s all that matters to him... all of this inside the first half an hour... The movie has a scintillating mix of sentimental emotions and pure raw adrenaline ... how his pal Joe Gould gets him one fight, of $250 purse .... and that’s when he makes a comeback ... and starts his meteoric rise ...
When some how Joe gets Braddock $175 for starting his training, Mae goes to argue with him at his apartment, there she finds out when a reluctant Joe lets her in that .... Joe had sold almost everything in the apartment to finance and sponsor Braddock ....
Before confronting the mad killer champion in Max Baer, Johnston tries to discourage him as to others it may seem to me he was clearly trying to steer himself clean and also mess with Braddock’s head... he shows the video of a boxer dying in the ring due to Max’s punch .... and this is what Braddock told him ...
’’You think you’re telling me something? Like, what, boxing is dangerous, something like that? You don’t think working triple shifts and at night on a scaffold isn’t just as likely to get a man killed? What about all those guys who died last week living in cardboard shacks to save on rent money just to feed their family, ’cause guys like you have not quite figured out a way yet to make money off of watching that guy die? But in my profession - and it is my profession - I’m a little more fortunate.’’
Though at first Mae resents her husband facing the menacing Max, when she sees the support her husband has and the way people look upon him as hero .... she knows ... how important this event is ....
THE CAST AND PERFORMANCE
Russell Crowe..... has put in a lot of effort and it has brought him some accolades ... he lost weight, got in shape .... and judging by what I saw on the net, he even looked like James J Braddock. He has a wonderful voice and an honest face, he has used those assets to a great effect in playing this character. 4/5 to him.
Rene’e Zellweger .... How much has she progressed in her career ?? This is her metamorphosis ... she is maturing as an actress ... and just gets bigger and better at it with every movie I see of hers.... She plays the role of the loveable, cute wife of Braddock... she plays the emotions very well ... she portrays to perfection what might have been the state of mind of Braddock’s wife then in those days ... 6/5 for her ...
Paul Giamatti .... He has been nominated for Oscars this time around for this role .. in the category of the best supporting actor ... I hope he wins( though he has some really stiff competition) He is brilliant ...
James J Braddock ..... some words for him .... Judging by what I saw in the movie and what I could google on him, I find that he is a gem of a person ... Though his soul departed on Nov 29 1974 ... his legend still lives ... he was inducted in the International Boxing hall of fame in 2001 and has a park in North Bergen, New Jersey named after him ....
Just watch this movie .... the swing from emotion to adrenaline is just great! No wonder it was nominated for the Oscars for best editing too!Oh and by the way, they found a new way to make the shots in boxing seem real ... they used a tire, put the camera in it and covered it up with Plexiglas ... so the view of the punches coming ... and the first person experience of it on the screen ... they would wow you ! Happy watching!