Great to see serious docs like this that are made in L.A. I think I've got used to expecting anything that comes out of Los Angeles will be some gimmicky "save the dolphins" protest film.I like how the film showed the bare-boned beginnings of kids in the sport of boxing. It certainly looked nothing like Rocky or that Lights Out show. Most of the film followed the kids and their trainers as they went to fight after fight after fight in various tournaments across the country. I never realized that as an amateur that you have to box like three or four days in a row just to win a tournament. One of the kids had over 200 fights before he turned 16! The story takes on a path of its own as the kids grow older and the strong are separated from the not so strong. I won't give away the ending, but even if I did, there's a lot of interesting "fight philosophy" that makes you understand how boxing is a pure metaphor for life.

I love documentary films like this. It felt a lot more "real" than most documentary films these days that use all kinds of recreated footage and fictional-style effects to try and sell you some social message.This one just came straight from the heart of the people it was about. I thought from the trailer that it was going to be all about kids being raised to fight but there was a lot more to it. The film centers on two gyms in the same Los Angeles neighborhood but it constantly shifts among the lives of numerous boxers/trainers/parents to tell the larger story of working class immigrants struggling to make it on both a physical and spiritual level. As it unfolds, it also breakdowns the "making" of a young boxer as he goes from childhood bouts with other kids around the country to Olympic competition to the televised professional ranks.There is a kind of ritualistic feel to the whole film as the narrator and various commentators provide a rich background of the culture of the sport and the psychological path that a boxer must take to emerge victorious. The story inspired me more on a larger level of understanding how the human mind works when it is pushed to the limit in a very real way. Overall, this is just a really original film. If you liked Hoop Dreams and When We Were Kings, you'll like this.

Really cool film. I thought the subject matter was going to be really interesting, and it was, but there were a lot of narrative layers to this documentary. Most sports docs just kind of play to the stereotypes but this one really went in its own direction. It's more about a lot of different individuals trying to use boxing to create a life for themselves, both inside and outside the sport. Especially enjoyed the clips of Teddy Atlas philosophizing about boxing as a metaphor for life. They were a nice balance to the sub-culture of Mexican-American kids as it was difficult to tell how they fit into the sport as a whole.Reminded me a bit of Hoop Dreams (except not so freaking long) and other documentaries that show the back-stories behind the big show.

I checked this film after all the publicity came out on it and because I love boxing, but this film really dug deep into my soul. Most of the movies out there about Mexican-Americans are kind of corny and make you feel like you're just supposed to watch them. With this movie, I felt some serious hardcore pride. Not only to be an American but to be the son of really hard working parents who have sacrificed their lives and instilled in me the strength to give everything I have in every fiber of my being. I know that the lives of these kids really don't mean much to a lot of people in this country, but I understand what they are going through. It's great that films like this get made. I'd like to see more and I'll definitely support them. I like how it showed all the different sides of the culture- the fighters, the gangsters, the working guys out in the streets, the religious women and the regular guys just trying to make it with their families. It reminds me why the good decisions I made were good and the bad decisions I made were bad. Never give up on your real heartfelt dreams.