Split Decision (Documentary)
Picture: C+ Sound: B-
Extras: C+ Main Program: B
When is
criminal behavior so bad that the person who commits it has been punished
enough? These days, the extremists on
both sides of the political spectrum what to execute someone for the most minor
thing, as if they were above others. In
real life, everyone makes mistakes, which is why innocent-until-proven-guilty
and punishment(s) fitting the crime are still the best pillars that justice can
rest upon. Marcy Garriott’s new
documentary Split Decision (2001,
which she also produced, edited and shot some of) takes on the case of Gabriele
Jesus Chavez, who had committed a crime as a youth, but had found his calling
in the sport of Boxing.
Furthermore,
it turned out that he was good at it, gaining the name ‘El Matador” and being nearly
undefeated. All at once, the film looks
at the struggles of trying to climb out of poverty, deal with racism, deal with
citizenship issues and the politics that accompany them, prove that a criminal
act can be shown as a one-time thing, show that a lack of role models lead to
crime in the first place, and show a calling can change any life for the
better. As we hear Chavez’s words about
his life, you can see he is not a bad guy to begin with and has a story that
reflects millions of young men and women in this country.
This is
very engaging viewing. It is a new look
at going after the American Dream with some different twists and turns than we
usually see. That he goes on to more wins
and commercial success is a plus, but just making it is the greatest win he
will ever have. This is the kind of
thing we used to root for all the time in the United States and things will never get back to
normal until we want this again. In this
respect, Split Decision is a winner
and with the second President Bush’s sudden (and contradictory to
anti-terrorist immigration policy in general) granting of amnesty to Mexicans
(not on this DVD, as it is so very recent and sudden reversal of policy), it figures
more and more prominently as a must-see.
The full
screen image is shot entirely on clean, color videotape. Though it is analog with soft detail, color
is a bit better than usual. The Dolby
Digital 2.0 Stereo has surprisingly healthy Pro Logic surrounds. The extras include trailers to other first
Run DVDs, the update Epilogue: Return of
the Matador (about ten minutes) showing Chavez’s further climb in his
field, and an abbreviated version (4:32) interview with Garriott and local
Austin, Texas journalist Jan Reid with her triumph. There is also a Spanish option you can select
before you begin. See it all before
everyone else goes for it, leaving you scrambling to catch up.
- Nicholas Sheffo
