Against The Ropes

Synopsis: Jackie Kallen (Meg Ryan) has known boxing all her life. Her favourite uncle was a fighter, and she spent much of her childhood watching from as close to his corner as she could get. Twenty years later, she's secretary to the director of the Cleveland Coliseum, is on first-name basis with a stable of boxers, and gets to watch their matches from the best seat in the house, but she gets no respect from the men at the top. Everything changes when she sees Luther Shaw (Omar Epps), a collector for a drug dealer, land a series of blows on a ranked fighter, and convinces him to fight for her.

This film's promotional poster demands attention. Meg Ryan, as Jackie Kallen, stands, hand on hip, in the centre of the picture. The background is black and white, but Jackie is full colour, her blouse and tight leather jacket red, face pale, eyes bright blue. She stares both challengingly and hopefully up and to her left - at what, or whom, we can only imagine. Behind her, almost obscured by distance, lens-flare and the harsh white glow of spotlights, stands her boxer, alone, fists at the ready. All elements combine to suggest a gritty tale of one woman's rise against the odds in a tough very male business. Will this be Meg's return to super-stardom I wondered.

Ms. Ryan hung out with the real Jackie Kallen, got to know the business, watched matches, and even took a few boxing lessons in preparation for the film. She was attracted to the part because it would give her the opportunity to depict not only the most successful female promoter in American boxing history, but to explore the relationship between Kallen and her protégé, Luther Shaw.

As in Rocky (1976) the role of the trainer is paramount in representing the crippling pressures of the boxing industry. TV and movie veteran Charles S. Dutton stars as Shaw's battle-weary trainer, Felix Reynolds, who agrees to return to the ring only when he believes that Shaw can think as well as box. As well as adding a depth of humanity to the film, Dutton directed this, his fourth feature but the first to receive widespread cinema release.

So why doesn't it work?

For one thing, too much of the story is dedicated to hammering home the point that boxing is 'men's business', as if we didn't get it when Jackie's father told his young daughter to stay out of the ring and brought in a bored teenage boy instead, or when her boss - twenty years later - is only interested in Jackie's coffee-making skills. For another, the relationship between Kallen and Shaw is too clear-cut to be really engaging and the sexual tension between them is resolved far too quickly.

Despite boasting a quality cast, the film fails to pack a dramatic punch. Meg Ryan's well-intentioned performance often comes across as laboured, and nothing is left unresolved; there is no question as to the characters' motivations. For a boxing movie, it has an incredible amount of dialogue - even during the fight sequences. Add to this largely superficial characterisations by writer Cheryl Edwards, unimaginative cinematography and a chintzy soundtrack, and you have what seems like a made-for-TV movie. This is a 'true story' that feels too neat, leading me to wonder how much influence Associate Producer Jackie Kallen had on the production.

Not enough boxing for sports fans; not enough quality drama or challenging themes for those interested in a 'character movie', Against the Ropes is reasonably enjoyable but immediately forgettable. 

 

Want something different?