On the Ropes

From AwardAnnals

Reviews

Amazon.com

That every cliché and stereotype has some basis in fact is axiomatic. Boxing movies have long relied on archetypes such as the tough-but-big-hearted trainer who acts as a mentor, the crooked promoter, the hard-nosed kid who fights his way from the streets to the top. On the Ropes has all of these, but the kicker is this film isn’t fiction; this is a remarkable documentary that follows three young boxers, George, Noel, and Tyrene, in and out of the ring as they struggle with tough circumstances in their Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood while they train relentlessly for the Golden Gloves. Trainer Harry Keitt has his share of problems as well, going from a pro career and a stint as sparring partner for Muhammad Ali to crack addiction, homelessness, and jail, then taking up coaching as a road to redemption. A peek inside the personal lives of the three young athletes shows them to be tough but vulnerable kids, likable, courageous, and incredibly determined to see their way out of Brooklyn via a boxing career (there’s another of those clichés come to life). As the three progress and move beyond the Bed-Stuy Boxing Center, Keitt must cope with seeing them leave his sphere of influence and move on. Filled with warm and very human characters, On the Ropes is a first-rate documentary and a behind-the-scenes look at a sports world that few of us ever see. —Jerry Renshaw

Barnes and Noble

In the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York, you have to be tough—and smart—to keep life from knocking you to the canvas. That’s the turf On the Ropes, an Oscar-nominated documentary, covers in surprisingly intimate fashion. Two young men and a woman, who are trying to get off the streets and into a boxing ring, are offered guidance and life lessons by their trainer, Harry Keitt, a battered but unbeaten former fighter who once trained with Muhammad Ali. Keitt, an endearing pug, uses his own history of defeats to develop a fight plan so that the three aspirants—onetime gangbanger Noel Santiago, former Golden Gloves champ George Walton, and female boxer Tyrene Manson—can battle their own demons. Shot on handheld video, the film is full of dramatic developments: When Manson is sent to prison on a questionable crack conviction, Keitt finds himself as the only man in her corner. Despite the constant setbacks and violent environment, Keitt’s influence proves a consistent winner—much like this oddly sensitive and satisfying film. Mike Hammer