Houdini's Magic Movie Ticket

I watched some of this today. I enjoyed it. I've seen most of it before.

Part of it seems like Rocky. They show a boxer "past his prime," then give him a chance to fight a top tier competitor, and he gives the fight of his life. Then things turn around, and he's got to face an even wilder opponent.

Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger, and Paul Giamatti are great. Craig Bierko is great too. He's really good at playing a crazed character. I liked him as the bad guy in "The Long Kiss Goodnight" and as Tom Ryan (spoof of Tom Cruise) in "Scary Movie 4."

When you first see him in "Cinderella Man," he just looks absolutely furious. Furious in the ring, at his opponent. He's not out to win. He's out to hurt the other guy. And since Crowe has already been endearing, you hope he can win against Bierko. That makes the movie that much better, because it builds the stakes.

I also enjoyed getting a glimpse of the past and seeing how things could get Depression Era bad. Hopefully we'll never hit that point again!

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