
Synopsis Tim Blake Nelson plays Bang Bang Rozyski, a retired boxer who sold himself as a kid who faith has strong thoughts on how to redeem himself.
When first introduced to Bernard Bang Bang Rozyski (Tim Blake Nelson) it is not the most pleasant of the experiences. For instance, there is that scene where he is shown to be stripping in front of his house trying to dance while his body is only covered in boxers and a belt with a vodka bottle in hand. I suppose if one makes contact with a woman while dancing one would describe it as dancing. But what he’s doing couldn’t actually be qualified as dancing. One way to put it is this he seems to be in the middle of a breakdown of some sort. And he’s just a complete bum. But Bang Bang sure is not trying to conceal this which Dostoyevsky put it some 170 years ago, ‘the caterwaul that could drive a gorilla’ out of the wilderness. Quite the opposite in fact. It is an unfitting of the scene that had all the forgiving of the situation would also expect. Zubkov pulls off this performance without any hidden agenda. As the movie goes on this brazen type of behavior seems to change from something entertaining for the viewer to quite disturbing. It is simply a gradual understanding that what we have in front of us is a character who most likely after this story, won’t ever experience the calm of peace. It is simply a tool to be employed in order to paraphrase a tortoise trampled by a fish.
It is clear that this is the portion where Nelson shines. But there is more simmering just below the level of Bang Bang. Many details are mesh up about the film, it takes place in Detroit even if it is not shot there. However, the screenplay expeditiously reveals the troubles and struggles that the city has been through for the past several decades. In a decaying city, Bernard is also a broken man. He experiences abandonment. He is certain it is true. He believes that the people he was raised with and struggled against have long left him. In this case, most of them are in prison or shot in the head while still young. Yes, he feels resentful for the cards he’s been handed in life. But moreover, he seems to be suffering the greatest rage within himself out of internal focus being constantly forced at the outcome of the game never stopping. So we see through Justin rather the opposite, all he’s feeling to do in the whole moment is to reconstruct. Perhaps this will replace all the pain that he’s put out there for something much better that would eventually help his family. For many, it can be said that this is a perfect tale of perseverance, a victorious sporting essay.
However, you probably have never seen a story told in such a way and in a tone that is filled with derision, offensive language, intense violence, and sarcasm. Those are the moments when Bang Bang comes into its own. The performance seems to lose some momentum as the film progresses or rather as it moves elsewhere.
Bang Bang is attempting to narrate a story about Detroit, yet invariably does not convey a message worth making. There are no references and facts about this particular city, only general thoughts and ideas. Nevertheless, it reduces the overall impact of the movie, although the history of Detroit is not the main focus of the picture. One would think that to tie the protagonist and the location together this often would imply something by the end of it. Another rather baffling feature of Bang Bang is when it opts for softer touches. On the contrary, it is fascinating to see the contrasting perspective between the Bang Bang of the public eye and Bernard, whom Sharon (Erica Gimpel) knows. The two are long-time friends and maybe even former lovers but are now caught in a love affair. At some point Grashaw, combines them, placing both in a very touching scene. It’s different than the rest of the film and is quite stunning in how the scene was shot and how it unfolds when viewed independently.
But in the context of the rest of the feature, it seems rather jarring. It feels totally alien. Let me explain if it is simply detached from the movie and viewed as an excerpt, it is a good scene. There is, however, such a difference in the other sequences that start it and the rest of the movie that this turn does not seem quite deserved. That does not mean that the scene detracts from the character, but it does simply invite a number of questions which the movie appears relatively unconcerned with.
Regardless of my previous sentiments, this film is essentially a showcase for the inimitable Nelson. And it is he, that, in whatever way, it flourishes. He possesses the ability to conceal considerable hurt underneath mannerisms and phrases which at once make you laugh and render you aghast. Early on in this film, a cop explains to Bang Bang that being nast is out of fashion. He doesn’t react to it at all. And frankly, the audience will not be as well. This is because Nelson tackles with this character that wit in an unconventional manner for a sports drama. Then, toward the end of the film, there is a radical shift. It is not entirely justified as a character revelation, but it is a nice and necessary clarification of the whole picture. This again goes on the shoulder of Nelson. His wit, though he has many weaknesses, makes you somehow like him a little bit. Then the film proceeds to what for me is an emotional high point of the film. The lesson is a most essential one and I feel should not be reserved for the closing scenes of the film.
What has been hinted at throughout now stands as an assurance to these or other audiences in the same real-life conditions. Rather than present those previous fateful scenes in that towards the end it would be more effective if it’s a shattered man trying to mask that emptiness in his chest. Bang Bang, at least on occasion, is an interesting film on the whole with a very interesting lead character. It wouldn’t be bad if there are more sports films with as much grit and grunge as this. More importantly, it never attempts to justify that kind of lifestyle. It confesses that the sport of boxing can mess up one’s life in many ways. It is just up to the people themselves how much they want to carry it. The only concern of the film is that the people should have the ability to decide for themselves.
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