Against The Ropes (Widescreen)
Picture: B- Sound: B- Extras: C Film: B-
When Against The Ropes (2004) originally was
announced, it was ignored, then delayed for a while. It seems all around that it was thought no
one would want to see a film about a female boxing promoter and her
African-American fighter. The last time
a woman coached boxing, it was the Barbra Streisand handling Ryan O’Neil in The Main Event (1978), considered a
broad comedy yet a feminist classic. The
rollback mentality of the 1980s did not want to see that again, with the most
ignorant expecting a hardcore Hip=Hop repeat of the Streisand vehicle.
Literally
a quarter-0century later and we have Charles S. Dutton’s feature film directing
debut, based on the actual story of Jackie Kallen, who became the first broadly
successful female boxing promoter in the sport’s history. This was not a comedy and it really
happened. Meg Ryan, in her best performance
since her grossly ignored work in Courage
Under Fire (1996), is Jackie, who gets a promising boxer after an argument
with her egotistical boss (Tony Shalhoub of the TV hit Monk). At first, “Lethal”
Luther Shaw (the underrated Omar Epps) thinks she is a crank and a joke, but
she eventually labors long enough to convince him that she is serious and that
a woman can pull this off. Though the
film eventually runs into formula, Cheryl Edwards’ screenplay does get the
female point-of-view across without it being pretentious or preachy. These are three-dimensional women of now and we
do not see them in cinema often. Dutton
handles this remarkably well, having already proved his behind-the-camera
skills on TV. He is a big-screen caliber
filmmaker as he has been an actor for years.
Besides
the formula that does surface, the weak spot that holds the film back is not
knowing enough back story on Kallen and the turn where she gets lost in her own
star status rings more hollow than it should as a result. However, I would rather watch a mixed success
involving people who are ambitious and going places, than another cookie-cutter
mega-production that makes you wonder where the money went, when it does not
look like it made it to the screen. Against The Ropes offers more success
than failure and will be discovered for that as it hits DVD.
The
anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image is not6 bad, but does not offer
spectacular shooting or detail.
Cinematographer Jack Green seems to be torn between an urban look and a
clean, current one, which never is resolved.
The color is consistent, but the palette is on the dull side. The print source is in great shape,
however. The Dolby Digital 5.1 AC-3
fares better than the 2.0 Pro Logic Stereo surround in English and French, but
the Dolby compression scheme limits the performance and this is a more dialogue-based
film than expected, but the 5.1 is the best performer. Extras include six trailers for Paramount
titles including this one, and two featurettes on this film, one (which I will
not identify) that gives away too much of the film, so watch the picture before
either of them.
- Nicholas Sheffo
