Director Ron Howard and star Russell Crowe re-team after their Oscar-winning collaboration A BEAUTIFUL MIND for this rousing biopic. It's the true story of boxer James J. Braddock (Russell Crowe) a heavyweight contender from New Jersey nicknamed "the Bulldog of Bergen " who lost his fame and fortune during the Great Depression only to win the hearts of the downtrodden during a spectacular comeback. Crowe is masterful as Braddock with Renee Zellweger playing his wife and Paul Giamatti as his loyal friend and manager Joe Gould. The sharply observed script devotes a significant amount of screen time to the domestic struggles of Braddock's family; developing character and place with a wealth of period detail so when the comeback starts the payoff is enormous. The matches themselves are unforgettable: raw intense riveting with more than a passing stylistic nod to Martin Scorsese's groundbreaking 1980 film RAGING BULL. Though it may sound a bit formulaic one should remember that this is the true a...