Why would you cast the champion to look like a bigger version of the skinny young boxer? They looked so much alike I didn't know who was who unless they were together and you saw the 2 foot difference in height

absolutely nothing original about this movie. its a knock off of rocky, or like a bunch of other boxing movies, but very poorly made. The build up is rushed, the boxing training is short, he goes from boxing in a local club to fighting for a title after 7 fights, lol, its almost embarrassing to watch. anyone who has watched real boxing, will find this ridiculous. The main character, the boxer, is sort of lame, he show no real hunger to either train or fight. it feels weird. the main fight of the movie, is poorly made, you don't see, not even half a round; you only get some silly glimpse of the roundsAnd both take damage way beyond what they would ever be able to handle in reality, which makes it look even more ridiculous. I urge you not to waste your time or money.

First and foremost, I am not a critic nor pretend to be one; but I was simply moved with the viewing of The Challenger today. This small independent film exceeded my expectations. What really impressed me the most about Kent Moran's directorial debut feature film was his approach to subject matter, casting and how he utilized the limited resources for the telling of the story. It breathed with an air of sincerity, which is rarely seen these days. Yes, it was rather predicable at times and melodramatic - but that's what movies are made of. Hollywood has been dazzling and manipulating our senses for God knows how long. Remember ROCKY ? However, The Challenger is unusually different among it's former colleagues.What really sets this movie apart for me; was the fact that it was very innovative in style and not so conventional as others. For instance, take the sequence of the final bout. It was not your typical in your face adrenaline shots, most commonly used. It was choreographed in a dream-like state of fragmented movement. And furthermore, the choice of music during the fight scene was impeccably complimentary. Also, let's consider the interesting angular character development which was achieved in the film's short running time.As far as Kent, Cast and Crew goes - I commend them all for their splendid work. My only regret is that Michael Clarke Duncan did not see this theatrical release. His performance along with S. Epatha Merkerson were the heart and soul of this marvelous story.Oh, by the way - Who the hell was that 2nd Unit Director?Somebody Give That Man A Job!

Possibly the best part of this movie was the fact that Michael Clarke Duncan starred in it, three years after his death. The movie does showcase what a good man we lost.Duncan plays a coach who sees potential in a poor kid from the Bronx who tries to fight his way out of his stereotypical life story.Unfortunately, the timing of this movie stinks. Despite the fact that it was most likely made first, it's released after the far better South Paw, makes me think of it as a low budget South Paw.What does set it apart from other boxing films is it's commentary on where boxing is today and what can be done to fix it, namely a Cable station wants to exploit the challenger with a reality show that leads up to his fight with the current heavy weight champ as to way to bring back the Heavy Weights that have been long gone since Tyson/Holyfeild.The challenger has a lot to its story without being too overwhelming. Although the actors were not that convincing for me as even light Heavyweights, they all worked together well to give an emotional heart filled story. The Best part of the boxing scenes is the advice the coaches would give the athletes in-between rounds. The focus on this, especially with Duncan's character is what the challenger brings to the table.Not the best boxing movie I've seen but it works for me. R.I.P Michael Clarke Duncan.