James Braddock was born in New York and raised in New Jersey of Irish descent. He joined the professional boxing arena at the age of 21, and used his right-hand punch as his signature to fight all over the world for a while. But since he was sentenced to a loss in the 1928 challenge to the world's lightweight boxing champion, bad luck has followed: his right hand fractured, making his record plummet; the Great Depression came, and he couldn't make ends meet even if he sold iron. In desperation, he changed his career to become a dock worker and received government relief money. But Sai Weng lost his horse and knew it was not a blessing. The process of moving goods at the dock allowed him to train his left hand, so he developed a new stunt. After the depression period, by chance, he fought with a popular heavyweight boxer as a substitute, and the result was an unexpected three-round KO opponent. After that, he defeated two other rivals one after another, which attracted a lot of public attention and got a chance to compete with the then heavyweight champion Max Baer. The odds were 10:1 and no one really thought Braddock would win. But with his will and tactics, he won the final victory after a 15-round tug-of-war and became the new boxing champion. From the down-and-out porter to the boxing hegemon sought after by thousands of people, his story was so popular that one reporter dubbed him "Cinderella Man".
The context of this film is faithful to historical facts. In addition to selecting some representative boxing matches of Braddock to show his outstanding boxing skills, it also highlights his integrity, tenacity, and sense of responsibility to his family and society. He can go to the game on an empty stomach in order to make his daughter eat an extra piece of meat, he can take his son to return the stolen ham even when he is poorest, he will put down his body and lose his pride in order to keep his promise and go to the rich merchants club to beg, He will return the social assistance he received when his economic conditions improve a little. Braddock is undoubtedly a real man who can bend and stretch; and the time and experience of his comeback coincided with the unforgettable Great Recession, so he naturally became a model of civilian hero.
The two-and-a-half-hour film is a little too long, especially the sense of history is not strong. Boxing is heavy and real, but after watching Raging Bull and Million Babies, I don't think it's anything special. In the penultimate scene, the scene where I think of my family at a time of crisis and the small universe erupts is a bit old-fashioned; it is estimated that the director wants to show the real purpose of his punching again. After all, this is the shining point of the character, so I admit it.
This time, Crowe has dedicated himself to the performance and dedication of the movie king. He lost weight wildly according to Braddock's figure, underwent professional training and was injured, and he was inevitably punched many times during the shooting. A Golden Globe nomination is a nice reward. And Paul Giamatti, who played Braddock's agent, unexpectedly grabbed the spotlight and was nominated for both an Oscar and a Golden Globe for a supporting actor.
Renée Zellweger is very similar to Rene Liu. The actress playing Sara is actually Braddock's great-granddaughter.
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