Mae West once said, "when sex is good, it is great and when it is bad, it is still good." Boxing movies are like that. Even the worse boxing movie can still be moving. If there was a sport made for the celluloid, it is boxing. Mano a mano, boxing represents sport at its purist. You have the drama of having one man fight another and you can see the fighter's faces as well as their expression of anger and fear. There is no hiding in the ring and Hollywood thrives on the human drama and so does boxing.

And true boxing stories often are better than fiction and the story of James J. Braddock is no exception. Once a top light heavyweight contender, hand injuries led to a series of defeat and the revocation of Braddock's license. Forced to work on the dock and accept welfare as well as charity, Braddock was as low as any fighter could get during the Great Depression. Yet within two years, Braddock went from the welfare roll to the heavyweight champion. No Hollywood writer could come up with a better scrip.

Director Ron Howard deftly shows the suffering of the Great Depression through snap shots. From the opening scene as cameras fade from Braddock's bed room in a comfortable home with $8000 dollar on the table to a few coins on a empty table five years later begins Howard masterpiece. In the background of scenes, you see the effect of the Great Depression. A wife begs her husband to come back as he leaves; various shantytowns and people sputtering around in old clothes are part of the tapestry that Howard paints of America in the 30's. These scenes are shot as everyday happening and the viewer feels the everyday misery that existed in America in those days. Yet in the suffering, hope still preserve and Braddock became the symbol of that hope.

Braddock can no longer provide for his family as he was forced to beg boxing promoters and accept welfare just to keep his family together. Yet during this time, the seed of his comeback was set. Working in the dock, he was forced to use his left hand and his left hand became more powerful. When Braddock came back, he became more complete fighter, as he no longer just depends on his right hand.

Joey Gould, his manager, gathered Braddock one last chance to fight Corn Griffin, a young Heavyweight prospect. For both men, this represented their last opportunities to stay in the boxing game. Gould was broke as Braddock as he sold everything to operate Braddock camp. Griffin was the favorite as Braddock took this fight on short notice but Braddock had the hunger forged in poverty. He knew that a lost would end his comeback and if he wanted to continue boxing, he had to win. Failure was not an option.

Here Howard catches the essence of Braddock at the end of his career. Braddock won because he had to. He fought with a determination that maybe was missing early in his career. Opponents Art Lackey, John Henry Lewis and Corn Griffin knew that after a lost; there was still a tomorrow, there was another bout. For Braddock, there was no tomorrow.