I admired Edward G. Robinson's acting when he was in films other than the standard gangster stories. Although this one does have some ties to gangsters (after all the boxing game wasn't any too clean back in the day), several aspects of this film put it a step above most boxing pictures.
First, this film has heart. Not the gritty heart you might expect in a boxing film (although that is here, too), but the heart one feels seeing Robinson with his mother on the farm. From Florida to New York to White Plains, this film has a broader scope than most from the mid-1930s.
Second, the fight scenes are relatively realistic. In the big fight toward the end of the film, watch for the rope burns on the hero's back.
Third, while a cut above most films of the genre, this is still a morality play -- good versus evil.
Fourth, the acting here is quite good. This is one of Edward G. Robinson's best pictures, from my perspective. He treads the fine line between good brother and son, and slightly dirty fight promoter very well. Despite some dirty dealings, you are able to maintain a liking of his character...until the close of the picture. Bette Davis is very good here, as well. She is treading a fine line as well -- in love with two men, and her depiction of the triangle is quite good. Humphrey Bogart is pretty dapper and quite handsome here, but make no mistake, for this story he's the real bad guy. Wayne Morris -- never high on my list of supporting actors -- plays the boxer who just wants to buy a farm just perfectly. And, he really looks as if he could be a boxer. Though it's not a large part, one of my very favorite character actors is here -- Harry Carey, as the cut man and trainer.
As the film progresses, it's clear someone is going to die at the climax. Will it be Kid Galahad who dies in the ring? Will it be Edward G. Robinson who has walked the tightrope between honesty and evil? Will it be Humphrey Bogart who is the film's real bad guy.
The choice of the closing scene is an interesting one.
This is probably one for the DVD shelf.
First, this film has heart. Not the gritty heart you might expect in a boxing film (although that is here, too), but the heart one feels seeing Robinson with his mother on the farm. From Florida to New York to White Plains, this film has a broader scope than most from the mid-1930s.
Second, the fight scenes are relatively realistic. In the big fight toward the end of the film, watch for the rope burns on the hero's back.
Third, while a cut above most films of the genre, this is still a morality play -- good versus evil.
Fourth, the acting here is quite good. This is one of Edward G. Robinson's best pictures, from my perspective. He treads the fine line between good brother and son, and slightly dirty fight promoter very well. Despite some dirty dealings, you are able to maintain a liking of his character...until the close of the picture. Bette Davis is very good here, as well. She is treading a fine line as well -- in love with two men, and her depiction of the triangle is quite good. Humphrey Bogart is pretty dapper and quite handsome here, but make no mistake, for this story he's the real bad guy. Wayne Morris -- never high on my list of supporting actors -- plays the boxer who just wants to buy a farm just perfectly. And, he really looks as if he could be a boxer. Though it's not a large part, one of my very favorite character actors is here -- Harry Carey, as the cut man and trainer.
As the film progresses, it's clear someone is going to die at the climax. Will it be Kid Galahad who dies in the ring? Will it be Edward G. Robinson who has walked the tightrope between honesty and evil? Will it be Humphrey Bogart who is the film's real bad guy.
The choice of the closing scene is an interesting one.
This is probably one for the DVD shelf.