Cast: Jimmy Smits, Jon Seda, Clifton Gonzalez, Ernesto Hernandez, Maria del Mar, Paul Rodriguez, Ron Perlman
Director: Carlos Avila
Producers: Moctesuma Esparza, Arthur Friedman, Robert Katz
Screenplay: Phil Berger
Cinematography: Affonso Beato
Music: Joseph Julian Gonzalez
U.S. Distributor: New Line Cinema
Without much exaggeration, 2000 could be considered the year of the cinematic boxer. Already this year, movie-goers have been given the opportunity to see The Hurricane, Play It to the Bone, and Price of Glory, with Southpaw just around the corner, and Girlfight (which was the co-winner of the top prize at this year's Sundance Film Festival) due out during the summer. All are about boxing and/or boxers, and each, with varying degrees of success, details the lives of the protagonists outside of the ring.
Carlos Avila's Price of Glory has its heart in the right place; unfortunately, the film's emotional arc is built on a foundation of clichés: the domineering father attempting to re-live his glory days through his children, the rebellious son who wants to break his father's iron grip, the conniving boxing promoter, and the great tragedy that ultimately leads to redemption. And that doesn't even consider the greatest cliché of all - the ultimate sports movie ending. Price of Glory puts all of this together with some skill, and, for variety, adds a Latino spin to things, but, taken as a whole, there's very little here that's new. The movie is moderately entertaining, but is not fundamentally satisfying. It's a snack, not a full meal.
Last television season, Jimmy Smits (previously of L.A. Law) left the highly successful, critically acclaimed program, NYPD Blue, to devote himself to motion pictures. Price of Glory is the first of those post-NYPD Blue films to reach the screen, and it shows Smits in the best possible light. As Arturo Ortega, the head of the "Fighting Ortega" clan, the actor exhibits great intensity, and there are times when his passion for the role holds the film together. The rest of the cast, including Jon Seda, Clifton Gonzalez, and Ernesto Hernandez as Arturo's offspring, and Maria del Mar as his wife, is solid, but Smits represents Price of Glory's heart and backbone.
In his youth, Arturo was a fighter of great promise, but a greedy promoter rushed him along too fast and he was beaten badly in a key fight. Now, nearly a quarter of a century later, Arturo is determined that the same thing doesn't happen to his three sons, all of whom are boxers, and all of whom enter the ring under his watchful eye. The oldest is Jimmy (Clifton Gonzalez), whose ability for boxing doesn't match his desire. Of all three kids, he is the one most desirous of his father's approval, and the one least likely to get it. The middle child, Sonny (Jon Seda), is talented enough that a savvy promoter (Ron Perlman) is willing to take on Jimmy's contract to get Sonny. Then there's 16 year-old, Johnny (Ernesto Hernandez), who is Arturo's pride-and-joy - not only does have the best prospects of the Ortega boys, but he is blindly devoted to his father. He follows Arturo's advice in all things, and derides his brothers when they do not.
The only interesting aspect of the film is that it takes place within the Latino community - a setting that is routinely ignored by mainstream features. Unfortunately, while the flavor is in place, the substance is missing. Instead of delving into believable, important issues (like the upcoming Girlfight does), Price of Glory is content to move forward using generic conflicts. Ultimately, the Latino experience is not important to the story. With few changes, this could have been a film about whites, blacks, or almost any other racial group. Thematically, there's nothing in Price of Glory that makes it particular to its characters.
Another disappointment is the boxing sequences. In almost any motion picture of this sort, these are the highlights. In Rocky, for example, it's the ringside action with Apollo Creed that everyone remembers, not the tender love story that precedes it. However, in Price of Glory, the fights are presented in a routine and rather hum-drum fashion that not only dilutes tension but distances the viewer from the action. Avila attempts to get us involved during the final bout, and his presentation of this fight shows greater intensity and attention to detail, but, by then, it's almost too late. Price of Glory is an example of missed opportunities.
© 2000 James Berardinelli