You might call Crying Fist "Rocky Squared". Two down-on-their-luck boxers - one young, one old - live lives of abject misery and our only hope is that their paths eventually cross in the ring. And then what? You've built sympathy for both. Both are living through that arc where winning the fight means more than just winning a prize or medal. It's everything. So who do you root for? You KNOW only one can win, and so even if there's a cathartic victory, there will also be a tragic loss. That's where director Ryoo Seung-wan positions his audience. It's an interesting place to be. Korean-style boxing looks faster than what we see in American movies, or perhaps it's the weight class, I don't know, but when we get to The Big Fight(TM), we're allowed into the ring for long, intimate shots that look all the more brutal for their real-time length. It's a good boxing movie, but not immune to melodrama and therefore, occasional cheesiness. Still, a worthwhile journey.
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Nickhowe
Up there with Rollerball as my favorite sports movieSiskoid
You might call Crying Fist "Rocky Squared". Two down-on-their-luck boxers - one young, one old - live lives of abject misery and our only hope is that their paths eventually cross in the ring. And then what? You've built sympathy for both. Both are living through that arc where winning the fight means more than just winning a prize or medal. It's everything. So who do you root for? You KNOW only one can win, and so even if there's a cathartic victory, there will also be a tragic loss. That's where director Ryoo Seung-wan positions his audience. It's an interesting place to be. Korean-style boxing looks faster than what we see in American movies, or perhaps it's the weight class, I don't know, but when we get to The Big Fight(TM), we're allowed into the ring for long, intimate shots that look all the more brutal for their real-time length. It's a good boxing movie, but not immune to melodrama and therefore, occasional cheesiness. Still, a worthwhile journey.