Somebody Up There Likes Me

Remember, before you judge this film harshly, it was a biopic, and that meant there were limits as to where the story could go. Unlike for example Rocky, where the only limits to what he could do or whom he could fight were self-imposed by Stallone himself. Late his career, Newman became known for his "H" series (Hud, Harper, Hombre) and tended to play every part the same way. But in this biopic, we see a very unique character emerge -- a guy with a natural knockout punch that will do whatever he has to do to avoid authority figures -- and right off the top of the film, the audience relates to the character and enjoys the exposition. Especially endearing are the courting scenes with Pier Angeli. Newman is so subtle in these that you almost feel like he would rather be in the ring with a brawler than trying to tell his girl how he feels. Not perfect but very few fight movies are. Well worth watching.

Robert Wise directs probably one of the best boxing movies ever. Paul Newman is combustible as Rocky Graziano, who is considered by many as one of the greatest knockout artists in the history of boxing. His rough youth in the back streets of New York and brushes with crime made Graziano a fearsome force to reckon with. A world champion known for that "one punch knockout" ability and matched with Tony Zale in one of the ring's most storied rivalries ever; somebody up there really liked the volatile undisciplined fighter. Newman is electrifying and faultless. Also starring are: Pier Angeli, Everette Sloan, Eileen Heckart, Harold J. Stone, Sammy White and Sal Mineo.