Cinderella Man

SYNOPSIS

The director and star of A Beautiful Mind reteam for a boxing picture that echoes the basic plot of Rocky - a no-hoper unexpectedly gets the chance to fight for the world heavyweight title. But here, director Ron Howard's film has the added impact of being based on events that took place during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Jim Braddock (Russell Crowe) has been a decent boxer with a strong right hand, but following injury and a run of embarrassing defeats he is reduced to labouring in the docks to feed his family. A comeback fight is the beginning of his journey towards a title clash with Max Baer (Craig Bierko), a giant who has killed two previous opponents. Braddock is driven by the desperation of the soup kitchen, and the disenfranchised and the starving of the time saw the fighter (dubbed "Cinderella Man" by author Damon Runyon) as one of their own. Crowe is perfect casting as a pugilist who does not know when he is beaten, and the film not only captures the mood of the times but also the power, majesty and sheer brutality of the toughest of sports.