Sparring

This film is for me a a sort of French FAT CITY. Remember the John Huston's movie from 1972, about losers in the fighting game and starring Stacy Keach. And a particular short scene in the beginning of both features can make you think about the link between the two movies; the sequence where the main lead urinate blood in the toilet. Yes that's a movie dedicated to those hundreds of shadow prize fighters who have sometimes dozens of defeats and nearly none victory in their honour list. A movie, this French one, so poignant, moving, cruel, painful. But certainly not totally hopeless. The tale of a tenth grade fighter who struggles to survive with his family and who accepts to serve as a sparring Partner. Terrific.

This movie portraits Steve's (Mathieu Kassovitz) professional drama. Steve is an aging father, husband and boxer with much more losses than wins. He's hired to be a training fighter of a famous and talented boxer. Over the course of this professional challenge, Steve shows his value as an experiencied, although loser, boxer fighter.

Although this is something unexpected to say about a boxing movie, this is a very delicate one, hard to be labeled in a genre, but something between a drama and a dramatic comedy. An ageing boxer, with embarassingly little money and a family he loves (and that loves him), needs to keep fighting. However, he is what is called a "journeyman", with a far from promising record (much more losses than victories). As a sparring of a champ things will become better, or it is just a desperate move?

But still standing tall. This is not your flashy "Rocky" movie, something you should be aware from the start. And I'm not saying that one is better than the other. I'm just pointing out that you should not expect this to be a "winner" (or maybe it is?). Certain things are in the eye of the beholder. In this case you have a man who has failed more than once, but still keeps fighting and going on.

You could see that as a symbol or parabel connected to real life. Some may feel the movie is too slow. And that feeling is not "wrong". Like it or not, the movie gives you the silent moments. Gives you character moments and breathes quite a lot. Which is almost ironic when you thnk about the main character and his "breathing" or sometimes issues to catch a breath, especially while fighting or sparring.

Not for everyone as is evident by one reviewer here, but those who cherish it, will find a lot to love about this... almost a love letter to humans in general and their strong will - no matter how qualified or talented they are

What we see here is a loser who did odd jobs to keep his family afloat, making his poor and miserable living with his family by either a punching bag for other famous boxing stars or kept losing in his own pathetic boxing fights, earning as little as getting his minimum wages. His facial wounds were an eye-sore proof of his every boxing aftermath, and he even pissing blood when he urinated that only showed he got some internal damages to his body. Yet what we saw in this film was a guy kept chain smoking and littered cigarette butts everywhere when he finished smoking.

Was there any logic or a basic common sense in boxing? A boxer who not only smoked but chain-smoked. So except getting short breaths when he fought, his lungs could never provide him with enough oxygen. No wonder this moron kept losing fights. And every time when he lost, he smoked more to suppress his pains and loss.

This is a pathetic film about a loser without any self discipline and basic knowledge, trying so hard to be a good husband and father with pipe dreams, making his living by using his body as a punching bag. The only comfort he got was his chain smoking.

You don't have to watch it through, 'cause there's no need to waste your time, your sympathy, humanity, and compassion on morons or losers.