The greatest movie ever made..!

Lack of good storyline.

An action-packed slog

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

This film tells the star-crossed story of Tommy Riley and Marty Goldberg. Tommy is a failed Olympic-hopeful boxer. Marty Goldberg is a fifty-something ex-marine school-teacher who gave up HIS boxing aspirations due to some incident in his past. Together they are more than that.J.P Davis both wrote and starred in this hearty mulligan stew of a movie that's one part Rocky, one part "On the Waterfront" , one part "Gods & Monsters" and one part "Cock & Bull Story." As with any good stew there are also other flavors that we almost recognize but enjoy all the more for their ambiguity.It's unclear by the end of the movie who loves whom more, but it is clear to see that straight Tommy Riley has a special place in his heart for the closeted homosexual that's taught him about boxing and about life.This is an easy film to be critical of. It seems to draw from many great films and yet is not entirely comfortable in it's own skin. Yet I think it's a success as a movie. It has a clear story line, characters that we care about and the young boxer is very easy on the eye. Some will criticize the decisions that the characters make but they pretty much left me wanting to know more. Who was Marty's earlier protégé and exactly why did THEY part company? What was it that Tommy's step-father did that REALLY caused him to lose that earlier fight? Overall It's worth the time we invest in watching and pondering this film.

To be honest, I came in at the middle of this film. but the part I didn't come into was pretty good.I really have to see the entire film to really give an honest opinion.There are so many different reviews on this site - it's just crazy.Tommy seemed to me to be jealous of the old man working with other boxers, so I don't know.I really need to see the beginning of this film to truly understand the core of their relationship.I did, however, feel that Tommy did love this man who was his trainer, but in today's world - of course - this type of love is taboo, which is really stupid.

Found this film for $5.50 in a bin of hundreds of DVDs in Walmart who tried to get rid of them because they did not sell well. Never even heard of this film before. What a bargain find and what a surprise. By the cover you think that it is just another so so boxing film with a muscular stud on it. The big surprise was the excellent acting of the cast, the sensitive and deep script written by J.P. Davis and the top flight direction of Eddie O'Flaherty who managed to top off this film with only a $200,000 budget. Unfortunately this film was overlooked by the Academy and fell between the cracks since it did not have any big bankable commercial names in it. The soundtrack and photography was also top notch. Apparently there was not enough money left to include any kind of Bonuses or Subtitles on the DVD. As said by another reviewer, Hollywood should be waiting on the doorstep of J.P. Davis who still hasn't done much in films. Don't miss this film even if you are not a boxing fan, which I am not.Claudio von Fresin

This is a superlative movie and I'll try to put any spoilage at the end. There are multiple themes interwoven in the script. The first and most important theme is that of redemption and of course the second chance. Eddie Jones is the trainer who is an educator, and to some extent, a rescuer of damaged souls. One of the surprises is that he needs rescuing himself. While set in a framework of a traditional fight movie, it does have something extra. If you haven't yet had the privilege of seeing this flick, stop reading here. I would say any spoiler begins here: I don't generally go in for the gay experience in movies as it doesn't interest me as a dramatic theme or personally. Just a matter of personal taste. I don't give a damn about orientation except as it relates to fairness and decency to other people. It does here. There is a strong theme of love and trust here with the gay's place in a "manly" sport. It is this tension that provides so much drama and is so important to us all when we consider how we treat each other.Jones' character has an almost Christlike ability to repair another's broken spirit and it is his hubris (for the purpose of the drama) that his orientation has interfered with both his career as boxer and trainer, as well as his own sense of worth. His self-sacrifice for his protégé elevates this drama and gives it much of its specialness.The theme of love and self-worth are masterfully handled here. The secondary theme that love transcends orientation - that it should not matter - is illustrated well here. One's human obligations trump one's personal tastes somehow. I loved the trainer's sense of caring and him personally, and it is one of the triumphs of this flick that Tommy Riley does too, in his own hetero way. More importantly, trust, character, and humane values are validated here as well.I was also intrigued by the art and techniques of using facial aspect to show different stages and struggles in character development. The ways the director and cinematographer use the visual effects of contrast in facial definition are notable. From the somewhat maniacal face of lust and personal struggle in the face of the trainer at one point, to the final difference we see in Tommy's face itself at the end: more mature, seasoned, and somehow stronger for the sense of love, loss, and yet redemption, seen in his visage. A most striking way of making one's point. I give this film both my thumbs up.