Review of Cinderella Man (2005) by Ethan P — 07 Aug 2016

In the center of a dark, smoky room, one strapping man pounds away at another to entertain the crowd of howling, angry businessman dressed in grey and black suits. In the cellar of a crumbling an apartment, three children huddle underneath a tattered blanket to keep warm. At the gate to the docks, a mob of fathers bash against the iron fence all fighting for a shift to put food on the table. Cinderella Man has an incredible sense of the time and place and circumstances of its story. It looks dark, ragged and vintage with its period clothing and architecture. It feels desperate and gritty with its discouraged cast of characters and dreary settings. If for nothing else, the film should be appreciated for how effectively it captures the desperate mood and decrepit aesthetic of the Depression.

It has an undeniable spirit and grit. The matches are burly, bloody and thrilling to behold in the beautiful, smoky atmosphere of the boxing ring and they give both the characters and audience a distraction from the otherwise sad circumstances of the story. The heart of the film is James' fall and dramatic rise, but the film is not really a character study. There are no inner conflicts or introspective monologues here. Russell Crowe is an ordinary good guy with a strict moral code. He's likable, but not complex. Normally it wouldn't work, but it works here because the conflict is between this very regular man and extraordinarily circumstances that strip away everything he has. The film is powerful because it celebrates a victory during a time of so much loss. In portraying that idea, the filmmakers succeeded. It is an immensely cathartic and satisfying film.