Review: ‘Resurrecting the Champ’ on DVD

Boxing is a sport that is so much more than just two men beating the pulp out of each other. I’m not even that knowledgeable about the sport or its history, but I enjoy watching a good match. What I enjoy even more is watching the old reels of the classic fights, the fights that defined the sport so many years ago. Of all the things that boxing is … training, conditioning, strength, persistence, patience … the most important thing a boxer must have is heart.

Resurrecting the Champ is a story about heart. Its a story about Erik (Josh Hartnett), a journalist who lives in the shadow of his father’s illustrious career as a sports commentator, but struggles to find his own voice. Its also a story about an old homeless man who presents himself as the opportunity for Erik to make his own name and feel like a true hero to his six-year-old son. Samuel L. Jackson plays the old man who claims to be the great Battlin’ Bob Satterfield, a former heavyweight contender that never got his big shot and has been believed to be dead for years. Satterfield sees the hope in Erik’s eyes, the need for this big shot of his own. Erik publishes the story and just as his life begins to turn around he realizes the mistakes he’s made, both as a journalist and as a father. Struggling with what he’s allowed to happen, Erik must decide whether or not to do the right thing and risk his career, or to let sleeping dogs lie and live with his conscience … either way he risks becoming the father to his son that his father was to him, and that’s what has him torn apart more than anything else.

Directed by Rod Lurie (The Last Castle), ‘Champ’ is a surprise sleeper that caught me dropping my guard. In a relatively short filmography as director, this is clearly Lurie’s crowning achievement. Jackson and Hartnett both deliver outstanding performances, but the writing is the true champ in this compelling and heart-breaking story of one man coming to terms with his past and another man coming to terms with his future. The supporting cast also includes Alan Alda, Teri Hatcher, David Paymer, Harry J. Lennix and Peter Coyote playing a much older role. ‘Resurrecting the Champ’ has plenty of “heart” and satisfies both the sports enthusiast and the drama enthusiast.

[rating:4/5]