CR: Resurrecting the Champ

A former film critic, Rod Lurie garnered Golden-Globe and Academy Award nominations for his 2000 film The Contender. His latest project, Resurrecting the Champ premiering at Sundace, is from a screenplay based on an LA Times article about a former boxing champion now homeless and living on the streets, and stars Josh Hartnett and Samuel L. Jackson.

Erik (Hartnett) is a low-ranking sports writer assigned to the local boxing circuit who can churn out 192 articles a year, but whose writing severely lacks personality and heart. He knows he has the ability to write something more substantial given the chance, but between his demanding work schedule, separation from his wife and six-year old son, and living in the shadow of his deceased father, a famous boxing announcer, it’s difficult for Erik to find the time to produce a breakout article. The potential for change comes when Erik crosses paths with ‘Champ’ (Jackson), a former boxing superstar, homeless and living off the streets, and the potential for an incredible story.

This is not a bad film, through I heard horrible things about it just prior to the screening, describing it as a two-hours worth of Hallmark card dialogue fit for a premiere on Lifetime. It is a bit melodramatic at points, mainly in the scenes between Erik and his son, but Hartnett is subtle in his delivery and handles the scenes well – he manages to somehow be believable though the dialogue is not. One could say the same for the boxing flashbacks, but they are a sentimental starry-eyed look at the past from a broken down ex-boxer who life has not been kind too, and all the boxing scenes have an appropriate level of brutality to them (not on par with Raging Bull, but not soft by any means). The boxing scenes are also very well directed. The overly melodramatic parts are also balanced out with intense scenes of confrontation both verbal (Erik faces some serious legal issues later in the film that threaten to ruin him) and physical (a group of drunk college students beat on Champ for fun in an alley). Jackson gives a great performance as usual, adding another memorable character to his resume.