On the Ropes . Austin Chronicle . 03-29-99

On the Ropes

DIRECTED BY: Nanette Burstein

REVIEWED: 03-29-99

On the Ropes focuses on boxing as a dream-bearer, a beacon of hope harbored by ghetto dwellers who want to escape their situation through athletic achievement. The film uses the stories of three fighters who train in the same Bed-Stuy neighborhood gym, uniting their stories through the echoing sounds of punches and jump ropes and their interactions with their trainer Harry. George Walton is a successful boxer who wins the Golden Gloves boxing tournament at the beginning of the film, and the cameras follow his transition from amateur boxing to the ugly world of professional boxing. The documentary has no narration, and uses excellent expository camerawork to say things that no narrator could equal. A scene in the midst of Walton's training for his first pro bout, during which Harry is across the gym working with another fighter, is an excellent example of this. The camera pans from Don King wannabes schmoozing with their new fighter to the excluded and soon-to-be ostracized trainer who helped Walton reach his current heights. Simply holding the camera on Harry's aged face conveys an entire wave of emotion to the audience, and is just one example of the subtle camerawork that makes On the Ropes so enjoyable.

--Matt Williams

Full Length Reviews
On the Ropes

Capsule Reviews
On the Ropes

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