NEW YORK (AP) — Sports movies, like other genres, can easily fall victim to overly conventional story beats. The underdog challenger. big match. You know what happens to the rest.
But the three new films bring some original moves and a few curveballs to a genre where tried-and-true formulas often reign. In a year of cinema that has already given us “Challengers” – Tennis movies that have little to do with tennis and everything to do with the dynamics of the trio – these movies hold their own in the world of cut-throat sports dramas.
Oddly enough, both are directorial debuts by industry veterans. And among each great performance, it features an inspirational coach, one of the great standbys of sports movies and a timeless bastion of great character actors.
“Battle Day”
jack huston’s “Battle Day” The film, currently in theaters, stars Michael Pitt as “Irish” Mike Flanigan, a failing middleweight boxer. He, like the battered boxers before him, is looking for redemption. Flanigan’s once promising career was derailed long ago by a fatal drunk driving accident. But on this day, he’s preparing for an unlikely opportunity: an undercard fight at Madison Square Garden.
“Day of the Fight” is loosely based on Stanley Kubrick’s 1951 documentary short of the same name, which is also in black and white. Huston, the “Boardwalk Empire” actor and the grandson of director John Huston, has been in love with Pitt ever since he saw his “Boardwalk” co-star Pitt, a sometimes troubled but always talented actor. I’ve been thinking a lot about this movie.
“When I was on the set of ‘Boardwalk,’ I had this image in my head of Michael Pitt punching a punching bag,” Huston says. “I think his life, in a strange way, mimics the life of a boxer. Sometimes it’s ups and downs, sometimes it’s ups and downs. Specifically, where he is in his life right now. And he has the essence of a boxer’s mentality. He can take punches, but guess what? He keeps standing.”
Although “Day of the Fight” culminates with the fight at Madison Square Garden, the film primarily depicts the lead-up to the fight. The film follows Flannigan as he goes through a series of harrowing errands.
“I wanted to make a movie that didn’t necessarily involve a boxing match,” Huston says. “The boxing match was icing on the cake.”
Instead, the film unfolds as an elegiac portrait of a man overwhelmed by life and trying to sort things out.
“Michael and I used to talk about how you could walk into any boxing gym and find stories like Mike the Irishman,” Houston says. “They’re experiencing that. I think that’s probably why their world is so fascinating to us.”
Michael Pitt in “Day of the Fight.” (Falling Forward Films via AP)
Cornerman: Ron Perlman. “Day of the Fight” is colored by several father figures (Joe Pesci, Steve Buscemi), but it’s Perlman’s coach who really stands out. A masterful character actor, Perlman has all the authority and gruffness you want in a boxing coach.
“I can’t stop it”
Based on a true story, the drama is directed by Oscar-winning editor (Argo, Heat) William Goldenberg. About the life of NCAA champion wrestler Anthony Roblesplayed by Jharrel Jerome. The film, which will be available on Prime Video on January 16th, chronicles Robles’ constant challenges, chief among them being that he was born without a right leg.
meanwhile “I can’t stop it” It carefully and naturally dramatizes Robles’ long road to the championship, steering him towards his ultimate moment of victory. It’s less about Robles overcoming a single challenge and more about his perseverance in the face of constant opposition. Jennifer Lopez co-stars as the mother and Bobby Cannavale plays the abusive stepfather.
A scene from Jharrel Jerome from “Unstoppable.” (Ana Carballosa/Amazon/MGM, via AP)
“At some point, this is a movie about a winning athlete, so certain tropes are going to come up that are inevitable, and I didn’t want to avoid those,” Goldenberg says. “I just wanted to do them in an organic and realistic sense. Shooting handheld was with the idea that we would be on the journey with him. You can feel like you’re facing the challenges that you face.”
“It was a constant battle,” Robles says. “It’s something I’ve felt throughout my life, whether it’s on the mat against a real opponent, in my family life or in the world. I was always fighting something.”
“Unstoppable” is unique for another reason. Jerome, the charismatic up-and-coming actor from “Moonlight,” put himself out there for the role and was dedicated to following in Robles’ shadow, but he couldn’t do everything Robles could do. In the wrestling scene, Robles served as Jerome’s shadow.
“I signed on for a movie, and I thought, ‘How am I going to do wrestling?'” Goldenberg said. “I watched him wrestle for hours. I thought there was no way he could do this unless he doubled down on himself. His moves were such that I didn’t think anyone could master them. ”
Cornerman: Unstoppable is the rare sports drama that features not just one great coach, but two. This spans Robles’ high school and college wrestling career, so first Michael Peña emerges as his most devoted supporter, then Don Cheadle was more skeptical at first during his college days. Appears as a coach.
“The Fire Inside”
“Inner fire” Directed by award-winning cinematographer Rachel Morrison (Fruitvale Station, Mudbound), this film is also about a true champion, an Olympic gold medal winner. Claressa Shields (played by Destiny Ryan).
Ryan Destiny plays Claressa Shields in a scene from “The Fire Inside.” (Sabrina Lantos/Amazon Content Services via AP)
The first half of “The Fire Inside,” which opens Dec. 25, is somewhat conventional, though it’s crafted with a keen sense of texture and local flavor from Seals’ hometown of Flint, Michigan. It becomes. It depicts her growth as a female boxer in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics. Once she wins the gold medal, you might take one look at the clock and wonder why she ended things so quickly.
However, the script for this movie is barry jenkinsthe director of “Moonlight” then turns into something else, something more interesting. The glory of the SEALs did not last long. She does not come with a Wheaties box cover. A tough black woman who throws herself into a bloody sport and makes no apologies for her interest in knocking out her opponents is not attractive to marketers. “The Fire Inside” moves into a thought-provoking third act that asks less about who will win and more about who will be recognized as an “American hero.”
Cornerman: Brian Tyree Henry From his first jab in the gym to his post-Olympic struggles, he plays Jason Crutchfield, a dedicated cornerman for the SEALs. Henry is a kind and soulful actor in everything he does, and is more like a co-star than a supporting character. Of all the coaches in these three movies, he’s the one you’ll want to root for the most.
