Combat sans merci

At least, director Joseph Kane - a great western specialist for Republic Pictures - has made a prizefighting movie; there were rather rare at Republic Picture, unlike Universal Studios with its IRON MAN - two films - SQUARE JUNGLE, WORLD IN MY CORNER...And I don't even speak of the SET UP, THE CHAMPION, REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT, those three masterpieces. For this one, this is unfortunately not the case. It is bland, flat, plus I watched it in a f...pan and scan frame; which is not the best way to appreciate a story. Anyway, I will be honest, even in a LBX copy, my opinion would have been the same. I would only have had more visual comfort, that's all. Just rare and bearable to watch. Some film noir accents too, but not enough crime for my taste.

Yes, I have seen this movie, but not for, probably, 35 years or more! Where I grew up, in southern California, in the days before cable or video, there were many old movies that were played on regular broadcast channels. "The Crooked Circle" was one of them, a low-budget film about a boxer pressured into taking "dives." I watched this several times; if there's anybody out there who remembers this movie, PLEASE either email me, or comment on this website about it. I'd LOVE to see this film again!!

Tommy has decided to become a pro boxer...mostly because of his annoying girlfriend who is pushing him to become rich and famous. However, his brother isn't excited about this, though inexplicably, Joe doesn't tell Tommy the reason he himself gave up the fight business...the matches were being fixed. Sadly, Tommy falls in with the same promoters and manager...and they have no intention of letting the matches go straight. What's next for nice-guy Tommy?

This is a very good film about how dirty and gangsterish the fight business was...and probably still is. My only complaints are minor ones. First, the plot isn't exactly original...quite a few other films have dealt with the same sort of material (such as "The Harder They Fall" and "The Set-Up"). Second, the boxing wasn't the best, as you might notice that NONE of the boxers use defense at all...they just keep punching each other...which isn't all that realistic. Still, it's a pretty good picture and is worth seeing.

Just got hold of a copy. And everything you say about it is spot on. What a great movie. The acting by John Smith and Fay Spain was absolutely top-notch. Best Colin