I haven't seen such a good movie for a long time, and the inner cow was full of faces several times. It was very late, and I was very emotional, and I couldn't sleep, so I came to write a journal.
The protagonist is named James J. Braddock, and his life is checked on Wikipedia. The main events in the film are entirely based on historical facts, faithfully reflecting his personality. He himself is a symbol of the endless struggle of the American people in the era of the Great Depression, and this film is about: what is a real man.
Born in New York, Braddock played college football while he was in school, and when he felt "more brawn than brains-wikipedia", he started boxing. At the age of 21, he entered his career, starting from lightweight, with a record of 44-2-2, knocking down opponents 21 times, and smooth sailing. The career reached a small peak in 1928, with a victory over the prestigious Tuffy Griffiths in an important match, making a name for himself. The movie starts here.
In 1929, he faced Tommy Loughran in a title fight and fought to the last round, losing by a narrow margin. This battle not only severely damaged his fighting spirit, but also caused a serious fracture of his right hand bone and serious injuries to his body. His invincible right fist lost its power, and his career, like the American economy, slid into an unprecedented Great Depression.
In the world's Great Depression, no one has any extra money to go to a boxing match. The investments that James had earned in the past have all become the fly ash of the financial crisis. Dragging his sick body, his record also slipped to a pitiful 11-20-2. In the last game, due to an old hand injury, he was unable to play at full strength. Although he tried his best to win the poor 50 yuan bonus, in the end he was only greeted with merciless boos from the audience. In a rage, the boss canceled his boxing professional qualifications.
His life was plunged into incomparable darkness, and his family was plunged into extreme poverty. His wife and three children, hungry, moved to the basement. He could only find some casual workers at the dock, cover up his injured right hand, and try to use his left hand to carry sacks. Such casual workers are not available every day.
There are a lot of touching details in this part of the movie. The youngest daughter was hungry, and she was still hungry after eating her own sausage. James told his daughter that he had a dream that he had eaten steak so full that he was disgusted when he saw the sausage, so he gave the thin sausage to him. Daughter, went to the pier hungry.
The eldest son stole a sausage from the butcher's shop. He didn't beat or scold him when he found out. He took the child to the butcher's shop and returned the sausage. He told his son that under no circumstances will we take things that are not ours. The son said that the neighbor's child was sent to a faraway place for foster care because his parents didn't have anything to eat. James holds his son and promises that he will never send his son to someone else's house...
At one point, because he couldn't pay the electricity bill, there was no heating at home in the winter, and the children had a cold and fever. His wife, Mae, wanted to send the children to relatives temporarily. In order not to violate his promise to the children, James had the cheek to go to the boxing club, which was once a glorious place. In a low voice, I asked every old acquaintance to give money, fifty cents, one yuan, just to reconnect the electricity and heating.
Forced by life, James went to the Civil Affairs Bureau to receive relief funds, and everyone knew him. So the whole boxing circle knows that the former champion now only relies on relief money and coolies to make a living...
James's wife Mae gave her husband the greatest support and encouragement when her husband was the most frustrated and the family was in the most difficult time. , to get through the tough times together.
In 1934, due to the illness of the famous boxer John "Corn" Griffin's "sandbag" opponent in a warm-up match, James's agent found an opportunity for James to make easy money. When Griffin's sandbag was knocked down, he could earn 250 bucks . James hugged his old friend for the job opportunity that was knocked down, and his eyes filled with gratitude.
On the day of the game with Griffin, James had to play on an empty stomach because he didn't receive the relief soup for the day. Surprisingly, "Sandbag" knocked out the puncher in the third round... Since he was only able to use his left hand to work hard at the dock, James' left hand became as strong and flexible as his right hand, which used to be limited to the right hand. James, who has conquered his opponent, can now shoot left and right. But that's not why he wins, the real reason is, he knows what to fight for!
When James got the bonus, he unexpectedly returned all the benefits he received.
In the following year, with his old and sick body, James defeated the future young black boxer John Henry Lewis, the strong Art Lasky, and the two-time world champion Max Baer. In the victory over Max Baer, when James entered the audience, the audience was silent, everyone told James with silent and expectant eyes, you have to win!
It can be said that his career fluctuated with the pulse of the times, and his personal experience became a spiritual symbol of the American victory over the Great Depression in that era. And the director of this film has perfectly explained what a real man is, and I can't even find a better way to interpret a man than this movie. In the face of adversity, endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens, be able to bend and stretch; in the face of opponents, be brave and indomitable; in the face of family members, with one word and tenderness like the sea...
There's a lot more to this movie, and the actors (Russell Crowe as Braddock with Renée Zellweger as his wife) perform like fire. What impresses me most is that in the press conference before the final championship, someone asked James: It's hard to imagine that you have beaten so many opponents younger and stronger than you. What are you fighting for? James J. Braddock answered with only one word: milk.
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