Director Sebastian Dehnhardt’s first foray into feature length documentaries is a stirring introduction to the mountainous brothers, but it’s high production values don’t hide the fact that it lacks an in depth examination of their lives in relation to their profession. Not only that, but their boxing careers are still in full swing, making Klitschko an incomplete, but entertaining mid-career retrospective.
You know the story. It’s a classic rags to riches sports tale, but this one happens to involve a pair of boxing brothers. Raised in a struggling military family, constantly moving between a variety of ghettos throughout what was formally the USSR, Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko both managed, against all odds, to become world heavyweight champions. Growing up, the Klitschkos always found themselves at odds with their ever changing classmates. When words failed to solve a problem, violence was the obvious next step.
Eventually, the pair started taking illegal martial arts lessons, feeding their ever growing love for their idols Arnold Schwarzenegger and Chuck Norris. When Vitali, the older of the two, got involved in boxing lessons, Wladimir followed shortly after. Eventually, they joined the Junior European Championships, where they both placed. From there, they went on to fight in the 1996 Olympics where Vitali was scheduled to perform, but Wladimir had to fill in for his brother after legal complications. Professional prize fighting was their next and final boxing endeavor. After years battling it out in the ring, the brothers managed to both become world heavyweight champions, eventually at the same time.
Dehnhardt does an excellent job portraying the Klitschkos as a superhuman force to be reckoned with, backed by the power of family, but outside of their boxing career, very little is outlined. The doc does manage to divulge some background information on their upbringing and Vitali’s political career, but part of what makes the Klitschkos so interesting is that not only are they a pair of boxing phenoms, but they are also highly intellectual beings that live in the public spotlight. The film fails to even mention that along with their many championship belts, they’ve both managed to receive Ph.Ds. Instead, we are treated to a parade of talking head Klitschko team members, family members, journalists and even opponents that have nothing but praise for the boxing brothers. They outline their story and, accompanied by many brutal slow motion punches to the face, each of their fighting styles are dissected.
Though its obvious the filmmaker wanted to focus on their boxing careers, this is both a misstep and a wise decision. The film flows beautifully, even at a lengthy two hours, building tension around select pivotal fights, and with additional extraneous storylines in the mix, the Klitschko could have become a muddled mess. As expected, it departs with a ‘to be continued’ sort of goodbye, leaving open the possibility of an unlikely follow up.
Like Tyson, this boxing doc chronicles the life of its stars assuming most of its viewers will have no background on its subjects. If you know anything about the Klitschkos before watching this, there is little you’re likely to learn about them from it, but that doesn’t make it any less entertaining. Dehnhardt understands drama, and utilizes it throughout to create an absorbing sports doc that would fit nicely into the ESPN 30-for-30 series. Hopefully down the line a sequel can round out their careers and fill out their story.