There have been scores of boxing movies throughout the history of cinema, and they all largely follow the same formula: the dream, the training and the big fight.
Thorsten Reuther’s “Uppercut” plays with these conceits as a way to undercut all those expectations, shall we say. But it also ultimately disappoints by doing so — by not never getting to the ring for that climactic match.
A remake of his own 2021 film “Leberhaken,” It defies convention (and perhaps reason) right off the bat by having the young hopeful seeking to learn the craft a very slight woman with a heavy German accent. The actress is Luise Grosmann, a European popstar known as Luiii.
Her character, a German immigrant in New York, seeks out a legendary trainer in a Bushwick gym, who is naturally skeptical. Ving Rhames, at 66 in greying beard and a bit of a shuffle, is well-cast in the part, issuing boxing knowledge and important life lessons to this insistent young wannabe in the gruff manner you expect every grizzled boxing coach would give.
Rhames won a Golden Globe portraying boxing promoter Don King in 1987, so he knows his way round this field.
It takes a while for his character to warm to this upstart (she has to clean the gym first). But slowly she’s suited up for a bit of sparring. Instead of waiting for her career to blossom, though, we cut quickly to several years later when she’s become a tough boxing manager on her own, taking phone calls in her limos and avoiding the young hopefuls that now pursue her for representation.
It flashes back and forth in time like this, as if giving us the pre-story and epilogue, but none of the meat in the middle. This may leave boxing fans a little hungry — at least those expecting a conventional serving.
While Luiii strikes an intriguing figure on screen, the German accent is thick — even the subtitles can’t quite figure half of what she’s saying. Of the rest of the cast, Jordan E. Cooper, as a contemporary fighter, isn’t seen enough to make an impression. But Joanna Cassidy (who somehow is 80) gets in one good ringside speech of encouragement as an assistant.
“Uppercut” is a strange movie in many ways, but never quite translates to satisfying entertainment despite its efforts to rope-a-dope conventional genre expectations.
“Uppercut” is available on demand at Apple TV, Prime Video, Tubi, Plex and Fandango at Home.