I don’t read many novels about boxing. What impressed me was Jack London’s "A Piece of Steak" and "Mexican".
"A Piece of Steak" tells a troubled late fighter who is forced by life to fight against young players in the arena to earn a living. The veteran boxer has a wealth of experience and knows when to defend, when to attack, how to save every effort, and how to cause more damage to the opponent in each attack. However, time is not forgiving, and he has no food to support the necessary physical strength. After a long and hard struggle, he finally lost the game helplessly. In this novel, Jack London slowly unfolds in front of readers the helplessness of being stuck in trouble, fighting hard but not being able to escape failure, and portraying it to the bones.
In the movie "Tekken Man", Jim Braddock, played by Russell Crowe, is also a down-to-earth boxer. He was once brilliant but fell into the lowest point of his life during the Great Depression. He was destitute and destitute, and even his family and children could not afford it. It was really embarrassing to see that he had to run to collect relief money in order to let the children who were forced to send to relatives to come back. At this time, the agent found a chance for Jim to play, but he could only participate hungry, and finally played a few mouthfuls of potatoes temporarily. When I saw this scene, I immediately thought of the old boxer in "A Piece of Steak", and I couldn't help but secretly worry. Fortunately, Jim is still so tenacious. The hard work of the dock kept his physical strength. He unexpectedly knocked down his opponent and gave him a second chance in his life!
The story told by "Mexican" took place during the Mexican Revolution, when Mexican youth Rivera was forced to go to the boxing training ground for his livelihood as a sparring partner. After joining the revolutionary organization, he also helped the revolution by participating in some boxing matches to earn money. In order to help the revolution organize the uprising, Rivera needed to raise a huge sum of money, and he was given an opportunity to challenge the boxing champion at the time. This is a contest of great power disparity, and everyone thinks Rivera is defeated. The difference, however, is that for the boxing champion, the competition only means bonuses, and for Rivera, it means whether the revolution can succeed or not. There are thousands of oppressed people-people like him- Is there a chance to get rid of the threat of being squeezed and death? The deep and unspeakable hatred made Rivera's thin body burst out with endless fighting spirit, and he finally defeated the champion.
After Jim returned to the ring, he fought one after another until he finally reached the throne of the boxing champion. During this period, I paid special attention to one of the shots. At that time, Jim was beaten with a heavy punch by his opponent, his braces were blown out, and his whole body was shaking. The opponent couldn't help but greet the boiling audience. Scenes of pictures of homeless children flashed on the screen. Jim stood firm again, his bleeding mouth curled up and smiled, picking up his braces casually; his opponent looked blank and puzzled. , Confused, even a little timid, maybe thinking "how is this possible, how can this person
not be defeated?!" Jim later faced the question "what are you fighting for now?" at the press conference, and his answer was " for the milk". After experiencing the trough of life, he deeply realized the burden of supporting the entire family as a man. He would never let anyone push him into a situation where he was helpless when facing the "dispersion of wife ion". , This is the source of his tenacious fighting spirit, and also the difference between him and other boxers.
In this film, Jim is undoubtedly a "perfect man". He loves his wife, loves children, has the courage to take responsibility, and never bows his head in the face of difficulties. Of course, many actors can do the image of such a good man. Russell's interpretation brings his unique "introverted" feeling to the role, just like the general who was framed and turned into a slave, he has a very firm principle of doing things. , Never complain, have power but never abuse, full of passion but can restrain oneself.
Compared with other Russell movies, the plot of the characters in this movie is relatively simple, but Jim’s struggle still attracted me, especially the boxing scenes, even when I watched it for the third time, the palms of my hands were still slightly Sweating.
Recommended to watch!
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