Resurrecting the Champ is a superb movie. Some reviewers agree, some do not. It features two great actors. First, Samuel L. Jackson plays a role that should receive an Academy Award nomination, but likely will not. The co-star is Josh Harnett, who seems to get better in every role that he takes these days. He is a superb actor, period.
This is not simply a boxing movie. It is not even the story of fathers and sons, though that plays a very important part in the drama. It is finally a movie about ethics, the ethics of telling the truth and how you should do it. Some critics think the film is "speechy" and dull but I beg to differ. I often disagree with the professional movie critics so much so that one Chicago reviewer, who pans a lot of very good movies, makes me want to see the movies he most often hates. Like all such art form there is a subjective side to all of this but I assure you this movie is a good story and it is very well told.

Harnett plays the part of a real Denver Post reporter who gets a scoop and finally makes it big as a writer. In the story he discovers a former boxing star in the streets as a homeless man, called by all "Champ." The writer is pressured in his personal life, living in a time of marital separation from his writer wife, and in his professional life where he is failing and begininng to cut corners. He pays for his mistakes big time in the end. We’ve all been there at some point and this story line effectively draws the viewer into the ethical dilemmas the writer really faces.

What is just as compelling is the story of how a father loves his six-year old boy and wants to make a real impression on him. The problem is that the dad creates a fantasy world in order to get his son’s admiration and respect, which fails in the end. This part of the story was very riveting to me personally. I felt incredibly deep emotion.

I highly recommend Resurrecting the Champ for anyone twelve or older. It will touch your heart and make you think about the truth very deeply. It is presently showing widely in theaters across America.

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Comments

  1. Mike Clawson September 6, 2007 at 4:53 pm

    My brother-in-law used to work for Rod Lurie, the director, and helped make that movie. He and his wife both have cameos in it.

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