Price of Glory

The plot of this film is a bit different from others on the same subject. It is about a frustrated boxer, who looks for fame training his three sons, most of them with capacities, but not to win a world championship. The ex- boxer is so selfish, so ambitious as to become the dictator of his sons. One of them is killed, the youngest one, while another is defeated severely in the ring. The remaining one already married tried to revenge the death of his brother and the defeat of the other with the same fighter, and finally wins backed by his father once again as his second. Maffia people around professional boxing business are seen once again in this film.

Price of Glory By Dean Kish

Rocky meets Mi Familia or is it more than that? “Price of Glory” chronicles the life of Arturo Ortega (Jimmy Smits) who lost his fighting edge early in his prize fighting career. Now thirteen years later, he trains his three boys to take him back to the top. What Ortega seems to forget is the boxing world is full of corruption, blood and honor. Can he help one of his boys reach the goal that eluded him? “Price of Glory” breaks some new ground in boxing films by mixing family conflicts with the high stakes of the boxing world. Another important part of this new ground was the Latino angle. I can’t remember seeing a film about Latino fighters even though some of them are the best boxers in the world. It made me curious to see if the training and development of a boxer is different with a different cultural background. I believed that the boxing would be the bridge to stretch across the cultures.

There are some that will have a hard time with the detailed Latino content. It is at times hard to relate to that cultural barrier. Are some of the elements pressed upon these incorrigible youths from the society or a ploy by the writer himself? The intensity locked within Smits’ patriarch maybe that cultural barrier I couldn’t quite understand. Stubborn, determined, passionate, proud and obsessed, Smits delivers a great performance but what exactly is this character’s motives? Is he doing it for himself or to better his kids lives? These begging questions made you feel the frustration in the boys when their father would explode. He was the lord of the household and he ran their lives. Did this character have to be such a tyrant at times to get his point across? Or was this yet again a cultural thing? “Price of Glory” has a lot of great boxing sequences and I did like the evolution of the child boxer but being an outsider to this culture it is a little hard to grasp the motive locked within Smits’ beautiful portrayal. His questions are never quite answered. Even with the tragedy that grips the Ortegas there is never really see an answer. What we do see is a Rocky type finale which delves into the family pulling together to defeat the champion. I half expected to be brother against brother for the title but even though it was straight from Rocky it was nice to see a full Hollywood fight. “Price of Glory” opened more questions than answered them for me. (3 of 5) So Says the Soothsayer. (Opens March 31st)

A Latino ex-boxer(Jimmy Smits)is angered by the fact he was forced to end his career early. He is now determined to make boxing champs out of his three talented sons. The tension associated with the boxing world and the tribulations of the sons trying to gain stardom soon threatens family harmony. Very interesting fight scenes and emotional drama drive this one to a 'feel good' finale. Good support from Jon Seda, Ron Perlman and Maria del Mar.

`Price of Glory' has the advantage of opening up for the audience a milieu with which most of us are probably unfamiliar – the world of amateur boxing viewed within the context of a Mexican/American family and neighborhood. Yet, having introduced us to this novel realm, the film then ends up stranding us in a welter of sports movie stereotypes and clichés.

Jimmy Smits (who ages barely a skosh during the film's 23-year time span) plays the ultimate stereotype – the machismo-driven ex-fighter who is attempting to rectify his own failed boxing career by living his life through his three sons, driving them to extremes both in the ring and out. Often confusing fatherhood with promotion and management, Arturo Ortega inspires his children to alternately idolize and fear him, frequently pushing them away from him in the process. The film trods well-worn territory in its exploration of how excessive parental pressure often results in the loss of filial loyalty.

Although the overall story is pat and predictable, traveling the customary arc common to virtually every sports movie ever made, the plot lines are often obscure and confusing for the uninitiated. We frequently can't grasp the esoteric ins and outs of boxing promotion that the film takes for granted we understand. As a result, we often don't identify very fully with many of the arguments Arturo always seems to be having with his sons.

And, of course, the film lacks the courage of its convictions at the end. Having spent close to two hours warning us against trying to fulfill our dreams through the lives of our children, the film settles for a conventional finish that advocates just that very cause. Thus, for all its uniqueness of setting (Mariposa, Arizona) and milieu, `Price of Glory' brings nothing much new to its genre.

Arturo Orteha (Jimmy Smits) is a frustrated retired boxer, cheated by his manager in a important point of his career. His three sons are also boxers, and Arturo is their couch since they were children. He is very tough and has many troubles with their sons, but in the end, the story is very predictable. I myself am not fan of boxing, but I recognize that this movie is not bad. The cast, leaded by Jimmy Smits, has a great performance. The choreography of the fights is great. One problem is that the character of Jimmy Smits is selfish and not charismatic. The story has many clichés, but I believe that fans of boxing will like it. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): `O Round Final' (`The Final Round')