The Challenger

Possibly the best part of this movie was the fact that Michael Clarke Duncan starred in it, three years after his death. The movie does showcase what a good man we lost.

Duncan plays a coach who sees potential in a poor kid from the Bronx who tries to fight his way out of his stereotypical life story.

Unfortunately, the timing of this movie stinks. Despite the fact that it was most likely made first, it's released after the far better South Paw, makes me think of it as a low budget South Paw.

What does set it apart from other boxing films is it's commentary on where boxing is today and what can be done to fix it, namely a Cable station wants to exploit the challenger with a reality show that leads up to his fight with the current heavy weight champ as to way to bring back the Heavy Weights that have been long gone since Tyson/Holyfeild.

The challenger has a lot to its story without being too overwhelming. Although the actors were not that convincing for me as even light Heavyweights, they all worked together well to give an emotional heart filled story.

The Best part of the boxing scenes is the advice the coaches would give the athletes in-between rounds. The focus on this, especially with Duncan's character is what the challenger brings to the table.

Not the best boxing movie I've seen but it works for me. R.I.P Michael Clarke Duncan.