Samuel L. Jackson is a knockout in this movie about the relationship between
a down-and-out former boxer and a young sports reporter who's better at lying than he is at writing the truth. Josh
Hartnett is the reporter; Kathryn Morris ("Cold Case") is his estranged wife.
The movie begins with Erik Kernan (Harnett) getting kicked around
on the boxing beat at The Denver Times. He's haunted by his radio icon father, a voice of authority
on boxing, who deserted Erik at a young age. Grown up Erik knows little about the sport and it shows in his
writing. His editor tries to shame him into doing better, but Erik and his ego are set on a cushy job writing features
for the paper's Sunday magazine.
Erik's break comes when
he rushes to the aid of a homeless man (Jackson) who's just been worked over by a group of college punks. The man calls
himself "Champ" and says he's Battlin' Bob Satterfield, a one-time title contender who everyone seemed to think was dead. Erik sets
out to write Champ's story, hoping that by "resurrecting" him, he can resurrect his career, his marriage, and
his relationship with his son. Sounds like a plan, if only he had remembered to check his facts.
Overall review:
** Jackson is very good in his role as the Champ, and Hartett and Morris are solid. Teri Hatcher is great
in a small role, as are Alan Alda and Peter Coyote.
But, performances
aside, this movie has a big problem. Namely, that the journalistic aspect of it doesn't ring true. The character
of Erik is a reporter at a big newspaper in a major city. Yet somehow, he manages to keep his story on the Champ a secret
from his editor, all while lying to the editor of the magazine. And, the single source for his big story is a punch-drunk
homeless guy. If a story like this ever got published at a big city daily, my guess is that the reporter and several
editors would be fired instead of being given another chance. For a movie that purports to
be about truth, this film does a lot of stretching.
