The journalist in question is a sports reporter (Josh Hartnett) who's been ground down by overwork and is about to be fired for the lack of flair in his writing when he stumbles upon an ex-boxing-contender (Samuel L. Jackson) who's now punchy and homeless. When he writes the story up for the paper's Sunday magazine, it's a sensation, ESPN comes knocking at his door and he's otherwise swimming in glory until a discrepancy appears in the old pug's story and the situation explodes in his face. As all this unfolds, director Rod Lurie laces the action with subplots and themes -- the inhumanity of boxing, the difficult relationship between fathers and sons (the reporter's father was a famous sportscaster) and more. Somehow, the movie just can't support all these competing themes. It never quite emerges as a morality tale (largely because it's never quite clear what the reporter did that was so terrible).
Review of Resurrecting the Champ
