Wounded boxers and their women .....

To the fans of Charles Bukowski,

you guys might want to check out this film.

Its about the boxing scene in Stockton, California - described through the lives of two boxers, their lovers and their common trainer. It is a sad film about the ups and downs (mostly downs) in the boxers lives as they grapple with all the bad luck, the women, ennui and sloth. The characters were extremely fatalistic, seemingly unable to conquer the devil inside their minds or conquering it for a short while before it starts working on them again.

Sex is an important part of the film. One of the boxers, Billy Tully (Stacy Keach) cannot seem to get over his wife leaving him. A spiritually wounding affair with an alcoholic woman does not allow him to forget his wife whom he loved dearly. Even when he tries to revive his flagging boxing career, it is in the hope that he can win his wife back. The other boxer, Ernie Munger (Jeff Bridges) is deeply insecure about his new wife.

Another important aspect of the film is its shabby run down small town vibe. I love American films like these with its gas stations, small town bars, long empty roads, side streets, orchards, barren fields, levees and ugly one room apartments. There is something very idyllic yet bleak about these landscapes.

The wiry Stacy Keach excels in a role that was offered to none other than Marlon Brando. Jeff Bridges plays a mildly talented but ultimately bland young man without any real personality. Susan Tyrrell is brilliant as an impulsive and alcoholic woman who befriends Stacy Keach's wounded boxer. Nicholas Colasanto steals the show despite the presence of all the other great actors. His turn as a cynical but persistent trainer added so much to this film.

I was thinking about some of the Charles Bukowski novels that I had read while I was watching the film. I recommend the book by Leonard Gardner too.

Best Regards, Pimpin.

(9/10)