Jeff Bridges stars as an amateur boxer on a brief rise who catches the eye of an aging pugilist (Stacy Keach) heading downward in this 1972 film by John Huston and based on the novel by Leonard Gardner. Keach becomes the younger man's mentor, and the two hit central California's tanktown circuit of small matches for small money, interspersed with visits to smoke-filled bars and hellish gyms. Theirs is a cut-rate dream, all right, but as real and driving--and finally just as punishing--as the mythical black bird itself in Huston's The Maltese Falcon. The cast is outstanding, the cinematography by Conrad Hall stunning, and the climax one of Huston's most painfully memorable. The story is filled out by surrounding detail that never leaves the memory: boxers and trainers who whisper of injuries that could put them out of business for good; a lone fighter who takes a bus into town, bides time in a crummy motel room, takes a beating in the ring, then leaves on the next bus with a few dollars in his pocket. This film helped re-establish Huston's reputation as a major filmmaker. It was followed by the likes of The Man Who Would Be King. --Tom Keogh
(15 votes)
2.
The hard times of poor white fighters in California are the background for this grim masterpiece by director John Huston. Stacy Keach is Tully, a down-on-his-luck alcoholic boxer living in a flophouse and earning money as a field worker while trying for a comeback. Jeff Bridges is Ernie, his 18-year-old admiring protege setting himself up for the same hard-luck life. Tully tries to pass his wisdom on to Ernie, attempting to give the kid the chances that he missed. Meanwhile, Tully also becomes involved with Oma (Susan Tyrell), a raging alcoholic who does nothing but drag him further down. Adapted from a Leonard Gardner novel, this sorely overlooked work brilliantly and unflinchingly portrays the lives of a group of born losers.
(15 votes)
3.
Life is what happens between rounds
Fat City is a powerful and gripping story about personal wins and losses in the raw, rugged world of amateur boxing. Directed by legendary Oscar winning filmmaker John Huston (1949 Best Director, Best Screenplay, The Treasure of Sierra Madre, the film stars the incredible talents of Stacey Keach (American History X,TV's Mike Hammer), Jeff Bridges (Jagged Edge, The Mirror has Two Faces), Candy Clark (At Close Range, American Graffiti) and Susan Tyrell (Cry-Baby, Powder) in her 1972 Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominated performance.
An alcoholic boxer (Keach), a young idealistic kid (Bridges) and a lonely woman (Tyrell) paint an unforgettable portrait of people who have hit the ropes but refuse to abandon their dreams. Fat City is tough, gritty and poignantly subtle in its honest portrayal of ordinary people attempting to overcome extraordinary circumstances.
(15 votes)
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