This short film will win no awards for originality since the plot is one you will have seen many times even if some of the specifics are different. A young punk who has flunked out of education and cannot even steal a car successfully, decides to turn to boxing in an attempt to have something in his life of more meaning than just hanging around in a bad part of town with nothing to look forward to. As a plot you can pretty much join the dots to see which direction it will go and you will more or less be right in the big picture and the detail.
However, just because it is overly familiar doesn't mean it doesn't work – indeed things are well worn for a reason. In this case the story just about does enough to engage in its tale of Davis trying to overcome and struggling to keep his focus while wise African-American trainer Butler inspires and challenges him in equal measure. It has a rugged spirit to it that I liked and, although it does nothing in the narrative to make it stand out, I did still like it even if I could have done without some of the more obvious parts (the aspiring fire-fighter for example). It is well made outside of the narrative and it looks good whether shot at night or in close-up within the ring. The music is also nicely subdued and supportive. Performances are not as string perhaps as you would have liked, but they still do the job, with Morgan and Butler doing solid work.
It is all a bit generic and obvious perhaps but it does still work and is well made and satisfying in its simplicity.
