Thoughts

The boxing sequences are moving paintings; there are no wasted frames as we watch blood splatter across the mats in slow motion, or DeNiro or his foes dancing against the sweaty mist in the burning overhead lights. The fact that the film also serves as a period piece of sorts makes the utilization of the black and white imagery feel even more in place. It’s like John Huston made a boxing drama without the Hayes code.

The story follows Timmy Chamalet as Marty Mauser, a young Jewish man struggling to get by in early 1950s New York City as a hustling ping pong player. The opening act shows him overseas in London almost winning a major table tennis tournament, but losing embarrassingly in the final round to a stoic Japanese man with far superior skill than him.