''The Brawler'' is a 2019 American biographical film directed by Ken Kushner and starring
Zach McGowan
Zach McGowan (born May 5, 1980) is an American film, television and voice actor. He is known for his roles in television series '' Shameless'' as Jody, ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' as Anton Ivanov/The Superior,
'' Black Sails'' as Charles Vane, and ...
as
Chuck Wepner
Charles Wepner (born February 26, 1939) is an American former professional boxer. He fell just nineteen seconds short of a full fifteen rounds against world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali in a 1975 championship fight. Wepner also scored notab ...
. The film also stars
Amy Smart
Amy Lysle Smart (born March 26, 1976) is an American actress. A native of Los Angeles, Smart began her career modelling in Italy and subsequently enrolled in acting school.
Her first role in film was in director Martin Kunert's anthology horror ...
and
Taryn Manning
Taryn Manning is an American actress and singer. She is best known for portraying Tiffany "Pennsatucky" Doggett in the Netflix original series ''Orange Is the New Black'' (2013–2019), Cherry in ''Sons of Anarchy'' (2008–2010), Nola in ''Hus ...
.
Plot
Chuck is a heavyweight boxer ranked in the top ten struggling to provide for his wife Phyllis and children. One day he receives news that he will be fighting the champion
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...
. With the help of his trainer and manager Al Braverman, Chuck trains full-time for the upcoming bout. Prior to a press conference between the two boxers, Ali requests a surprised Chuck to racially berate him to generate press, though Chuck refuses during the conference.
Though Wepner manages to score a knockdown against Ali, he is dominated in the fight, getting knocked down in the 15th round. However, Chuck becomes a local hero, with him receiving a call that
a film was being produced based on his fight with Ali, subsequently winning best picture. Chuck allows the fame to get to his head, and begins systematically partying, cheating on his wife and doing cocaine. Phyliss eventually finds out and, after a bitter argument, leaves him.
After engaging in a mixed wrestling/boxing match with
Andre the Giant, a down on his luck Wepner meets a woman called Linda in a bar. He is also given the chance by
Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Enzio Stallone (; born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, ) is an American actor and filmmaker. After his beginnings as a struggling actor for a number of years upon arriving to New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, h ...
to audition for a role in
Rocky II
''Rocky II'' is a 1979 American sports drama film written, directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the sequel to ''Rocky'' (1976) and is the second installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise. It also stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl We ...
, though following a confrontation with the producer, his part gets cut. He subsequently gets into a falling out with his brother Donnie.
After taking an unsanctioned bout with Victor, a wrestling Bear, he gets arrested and imprisoned for a botched drug-deal. During his time, he meets Stallone in prison, who is filming for his upcoming movie
Lock Up. Two years later, he is released from prison, and later marries Linda.
By 1993, Chuck continues his previous work as a liquor salesman and abstains from drugs, also reconciling with Donnie. Chuck is subsequently approached by
John Olsen
John Wayne Olsen, AO (born 7 June 1945) is a former Australian politician, diplomat and football commissioner. He was Premier of South Australia between 28 November 1996 and 22 October 2001. He is now President of the Federal Liberal Party, C ...
to sign memorabilia at his shop. Though suspicious, he agrees to do signings for Olsen, being later arrested for involvement in a Sports memorabilia fraud that Olsen had headed. However, no serious charges are made against Chuck and he is eventually let go. He later meets Stallone a third time during his filming of
Cop Land
''Cop Land'' is a 1997 American neo-noir crime drama film written and directed by James Mangold. It stars an ensemble cast that includes Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, and Robert De Niro, with Peter Berg, Janeane Garofalo, Robert ...
. Chuck is increasingly irritated for what little compensation he was given for the Rocky film and successfully sues Stallone, finally allowing Chuck to settle down into a comfortable life.
Cast
Reception
On
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, the film has a score of 46 out of 100, based on four critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
See also
*
''Chuck'' (film), another biographical film about Wepner.
*
List of boxing films
This is a list of films about boxing, featuring notable sports films where boxing plays a central role in the development of the plot.
The Patent Leather Kid
1927
A self-centered boxer learns the meaning of patriotism on the battlefield durin ...
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Brawler, The
2010s sports drama films
2019 biographical drama films
American boxing films
American biographical drama films
Sports films based on actual events
Biographical films about sportspeople
Vertical Entertainment films
Cultural depictions of American men
Cultural depictions of boxers
Cultural depictions of Sylvester Stallone
2019 drama films
2019 films
2010s English-language films
2010s American films