Uppercut movie review

The boxer drama “Liver Hook” is a small masterpiece of cinematic minimalism. Originally conceived as a showreel scene for Hardy Krüger Jr. and Luise Großmann, filmmaker Torsten Rüther developed the script into a complete screenplay for a full-length two-person play in just four days, which only consists of a single (very long) Scene exists. After extensive rehearsals, filming took place in a real boxer's cellar in Berlin's Wedding district in the summer of 2020, which was marked by the Corona pandemic – and after just three nights, the low, which appeared naturalistic with its authentic characters and was shot with the smallest possible camera and sound crew, was finished -Budget chamber game completely in the box. No wonder that “Liver Hook” caused a stir when it premiered at the Oldenburg Film Festival 2021 and subsequently internationally.

With its “Million Dollar Baby” vibe and many blatant film references, not only did the film make the jump across the Atlantic and into Paramount+'s US program, but also Torsten Rüther's production company Hello Moment Productions, which, together with leading actress Luise Großmann (stage name now: Luiii) also realized the US remake itself. With Ving Rhames, known from “Pulp Fiction” and the “Mission: Impossible” series, Rüther was able to gain a real Hollywood star and the narrative also goes “Uppercut“New paths by opening up the hermetically sealed box cellar scenery. However, the departure from the minimalism of the original comes at the expense of intensity, authenticity and narrative focus.

“Liver hook” actress Luise Großmann alias Luiii also took on the lead role in the US remake.

“Liver Hook” actress Luise Großmann alias Luiii also took on the lead role in the US remake.

One evening in 2014, Toni (Luiii) shows up unannounced at the long-closed gym of the health-struggling Elliott (Ving Rhames) in New York's Bushwick district. The German, who is both frustrated and fascinated by boxing, really wants to be trained by the former champion. After initially being rejected, the curious Elliott gets involved and teaches the young woman numerous lessons not only about boxing and competition, but also for life. She can put this to good use eight years later when she has worked her way up to become a successful boxing promoter. When the loudmouth Payne Harris (Jordan E. Cooper) fights for the title, she has to choose between her boxing protégé and her role as a caring mother…

Everything is a bit smoother

While the sometimes somewhat tough dialogues in “Liver Hook” were still full of precocious similes, linguistic images and redundancies, Torsten Rüther has streamlined them significantly for “Uppercut”. A loud-mouthed Muhammad Ali quote or words of wisdom about boxing gloves can still be found in the script, but are no longer perpetuated in an annoying way. The plot stations, however, remain largely the same – and are ticked off with little surprise: cleaning, dancing through sandbags, standing-sitting exercises, dodging tennis balls – and finally it's off to the ring. It is only logical that some “Americanization” of the milieu was carried out and that the songs of the country band “The Chicks” were exchanged for blues by Buddy Guy (and the boxing cellar was decorated with corresponding posters of blues greats).

What the visibly higher budgeted remake noticeably lacks compared to the much rougher original is the heated atmosphere in both senses. In the stuffy boxing cellar in Wedding, there was quickly an underlying erotic tension between the defiant student and the trainer, who was virile despite her handicap and who sometimes stared after her for a little too long as she went into the shower, which was verbalized in a careless advance by Steph. These nuances are completely missing in “Uppercut” – the film was clearly aimed at a (supposedly) more prudish US audience. And so Ving Rhames shows his trainer, far away from any shirt-sleeves, very stiff at the hips and in a hoodie with a hood, much more distant, including a completely asexual fatherly aura.

With Ving Rhames, “Uppercut” has a real Hollywood star to offer!

With Ving Rhames, “Uppercut” has a real Hollywood star to offer!

Even if Luiii and Rhames make a noticeable effort, the dynamic between their characters doesn't really get going. This is also due to a subplot: Toni's future career as a boxing promoter with plenty of trivial conflicts and silly episodes (loud yawning at a dignified reception with a cello performance) comes into focus as the running time increases.

These interludes, in which the costume department also makes a few missteps for Luiii's funky appearance (particularly ugly: a light brown pants suit decorated with flashing brooches), significantly disrupt the intimacy in the boxing cellar. To make matters worse, the title boxing match in the subplot seems conspicuously cheap: only the ring itself is brightly lit, while the auditorium is swallowed up by darkness. Torsten Rüther wants too much here and fails because of his own ambitions – because at its core, “Uppercut” remains a small chamber play despite its Hollywood attitude.

Conclusion: The dialogues of “Uppercut” have noticeably more subtleties compared to the original. On the other hand, the smooth US remake lacks the subtle erotic vibes – and the added scenes outside the boxing cellar often seem noticeably cheap.