Gloves of Stone

Chamaco_720p(480P)

source: Chamaco

I rented this title at Blockbuster as a big fan of Martin Sheen. Apocalypse Now will forever be my favorite film. I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised by the film. I'm not one for subtitled films, however the bilingual nature of this film was done so smoothly. A heartfelt story of a doctor living in Mexico City whose long lost shows up out of the blue - causing them to rebuild their relationship via the helping of a young boy they both take an interest in. The son is a down on his luck boxer whose faded glory has brought him to see his dad for help. A teenager the doctor is already helping is trying to become a boxer. Indeed a simple story yet done so well. The boxing is really really good in this film. I also really enjoyed life on the streets in Mexico City. The performances are really strong. And, of course if you are a Martin Sheen fan like me it is incredible to watch this man take on a character who speaks Spanish half of the time with such depth. Not unlike the Irish film "Da" where he took on another aspect of his roots. Highly recommend.

Saw The Kid Chamaco in theaters. Very strong moving film that takes place in the immense city of Mexico City. The city is almost a character in the film. For those that know they clearly shot it all over the entire city. Strong acting from both US and Mexican actors. One of my favorite actors is in the film in Gustavo Sanchez Parra. He is amazing in Amores Perros and many others. Music in film is for the most part good. If there was any part of the film that may have been improved it would be the music over some of the boxing. This is clearly one of the best boxing films ever made for the sport being shown as it is rather than fake "ala Rocky". For boxing fans four time world champion Marco Antonio Barrera is in the film and even one of the lead actors in the film Kirk Harris was a top amateur fighter. Other fighters in the cast include Daniel Evangelista. OK, so it becomes obvious I'm a huge fan of boxing, but the film still has something for everyone.

While boxing is the subject matter what the film is really about is the dreams of desperate men. Really strong performances by the lead actors Martin Sheen, Kirk Harris and Alex Perea. It was so great to see Martin Sheen in a great role like this. He carries such depth. Kirk Harris is amazing as his son a down on his luck boxer. Alex Perea is a discovery as the kid who they both help. The rest of the cast is similarly strong. I've not seen many films that blend the use of language so well. I would guess that the film is about 50% in Spanish, 50% in English. Give or take. Beautiful and gritty images of Mexico City. I hope the music score is at some point released to CD. Beautiful and almost haunting at times. Very authentic feeling film start to finish. The boxing is as good as I've ever seen on film. Films real and gives the film a almost documentary like feel at times. I highly recommend seeing this film.