On The Ropes

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=80 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="04000500dvldtc.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>Reel Movie Critic.com</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Reel Movie Critic.com"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id205.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Liberty Heights"><U>Liberty Heights</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id206.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Light It Up"><U>Light It Up</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1032.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Limbo"><U>Limbo</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1057.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lone Star"><U>Lone Star</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1063.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Love Jones"><U>Love Jones</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id207.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Magnolia"><U>Magnolia</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1343.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Malcolm X"><U>Malcolm X</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1516.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mississippi Marsala"><U>Mississippi Marsala</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1059.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Nosferatu"><U>Nosferatu</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id268.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Music of the Heart"><U>Music of the Heart</U></A>   |   <B>On The Ropes</B>   |   <A HREF="id1034.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Once Were Warriors "><U>Once Were Warriors     </U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1070.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Out of Sight"><U>Out of Sight</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1146.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Red"><U>Red</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id152.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Red Violin"><U>Red Violin</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id261.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Run Lola Run"><U>Run Lola Run</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="041d2c00dvldtc.png"> <div> <A HREF="id145.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Movie Newsletter"><U><B>Free</B></U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFF33" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="id145.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Movie Newsletter"><U><B> Movie Newsletter</B></U></A></FONT></div> <div> <B>Great Web Sites</B></div> <div> <B>Book Reviews</B></div> <div> <A HREF="id744.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Whats New?"><U><B>What's New?</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" Movie Reviews2000"><U>Current Movie Reviews</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id134.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Future Films"><U>Future Films</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id93.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Top Ten Box Office "><U>Top 10 Box Office</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id278.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Top 10 Video Rentals"><U>New Video Releases</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id358.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Movie Web Sites "><U><B>Movie Web Sites</B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=400 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> On The Ropes</div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="608" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 147 ><NOBR><div> <B><IMG SRC="c5d628c0.jpg" border=0 width="98" height="140" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" > <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004R612/reelmoviecriticc"> DVD of "On the Ropes"</A>     Save 14% for a limited time only</FONT></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="579" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="575"><div> <B>On The Ropes </B>****  (Not Rated)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><div> Reviewed By George O. Singleton</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="549" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 24 WIDTH="545"><div> You seldom hear of the <I>real</I> heroes</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="580" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="329"><div> George Walton</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="244"><div> Tyrene Manson Walton</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="329"><div> Noel Santiago</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="244"><div> Harry Keitt</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="329"><div> Eddie Mustafa Muhammad</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> Director: Nanette Burstein </div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="329"><div> Co-Director: Brett Morgen</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="244"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="244" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <B>30 Second Bottom Line</B>: A documentary of three young boxers who try to make a positive life for themselves in spite of many who try to use and take advantage of them. Fortunately, there are a few people who really care that can make a difference.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Story Line:</B> This is a must see film that happens to be a documentary that is on par with <I><B>Hoop Dreams</B></I>. <I>On the Ropes</I> was picked by Roger Ebert as one of the best films of the year. </div> <bR> <div> The hero in this film is Harry Keitt, the boxing coach for George Walton, Tyrene Manson and Noel Santiago. Harry works long hours functioning as a surrogate father to the kids that he coaches in the ring with advice that can be used in and out of boxing. He gives advice but more important than that, he listens.</div> <bR> <div>  Harry is human enough such that he is a honest man who expresses his disappointment and anger when he's placed in a subordinate coaching position to former boxing champion Eddie Mustafa Muhammad. Harry never waivers in his support for his boxers. Although not stated in the film, I learned that Harry worked for free, unlike the coach in the film <I><B>Girlfight.</B></I> He supported himself by being a bouncer in a nightclub when the gym was closed. Harry is a recovering dope addict and convicted felon…sort of like a Don King except that looks out for others even more so than himself. People such as Harry and the mentor in <I><B>Legacy</B></I> are real heroes. That is a powerful story and wonderful thing to see and we've yet to talk about the three boxers.</div> <bR> <div> Noel Santiago is a kid who says a lot about how difficult it will be for him to not be a criminal when he tells the coach that he has given up drinking and smoking dope but that he still is a thief. He has low self-esteem, which he starts to get over when he wins a boxing match. </div> <bR> <div> George Walton, even as an amateur looks like he has what it takes to be a professional boxer. He's doing fine until he reaches the point where he must start making decisions on working with adults in his professional career beyond coach Harry Keitt. This is where having a dad like Tiger Woods or the Williams sisters make all the difference in the world. Unless you are very lucky, you will not go through life getting great advice from strangers you meet like Harry. When Eddie Mustafa Muhammad was part of the coaching team with Harry, that was fine. It was the personal coaching and promoting aspect by a boxing promoter that got George in some trouble….there is more than one Don King…you just don't know their names. </div> <bR> <div> By far the most gripping of the three boxers is Tyrene. She is a young lady who has had some problems in the past but has gotten her act together in truly dire circumstances. She looks out after two young girls as a surrogate mother; she trains for her boxing as a real life <I><B>Girlfight</B></I> and she keeps bank and a sense of order for people living in a crowded apartment with drug addicts. A drug raid, lying policeman and an incredibly incompetent public defender change Tyrene's life in ways you would never imagine. </div> <bR> <div> The drama in the life of Tyrene and a statement she makes in real life that if repeated by an actress, without doubt would receive an Academy Award nomination. The clarity of thought and the pain you feel as she states her position is a <I><B>film moment to remember.</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <B>Tell Me More About It</B>: Released about the same time as <I><B>Hurricane,</B></I> Roger Ebert said that it was the better of the two films while saying that Denzel Washington's performance was exceptional. I somewhat discounted that observation until I saw <I>On the Ropes</I> for myself.</div> <bR> <div> Postscript April 2001:  <I><B>Spoilers follow…read this after you have seen the film.</B></I> Noel dropped out of school and slipped back into his street life. He is reported to be selling drugs. George and Tyrene became friends as a result of the making of the movie and not because they had the same coach. That friendship became love and they were married earlier this year. George is now 8-0 as a professional and hopes to one day wear a championship belt. Tyrene is on a work release program in a half way house able to go home on occasion and should be able to live with her husband 7 days a week before long. </div> <bR> <div> She may try for a new trial so that her criminal record can be erased and her life will not be controlled by a parole board for the next five years. George Walton could be your next George Foreman. He learns from his past experiences and he's a good human being that respects both himself and those around him. </div> <bR> <div> Who knows, with that smile of his, combined with his friendly eye contact, if he becomes a champion, we might be buying some type of kitchen appliance from him a few years down the road (like our friend, George Foreman). <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Wingdings" >J</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="591" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> PG (sex; nudity; drugs; violence; language)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> George O. Singleton © 2001</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> <A HREF="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com"><U><U>George@reelmoviecritic.com</U></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>