Elefantenherz

A boxing film. A good boxing film. That should really be enough, but every film has a right to information, even the films that don’t need it. Protagonist is Marko Stemper (Daniel Brühl) who grew up in a poor, broken family in the decaying industrial city of Duisburg. His father (or stepfather, as shall become apparent) drinks heavily and these melodramatic conditions -remember it is a genre film -turn Marko into the ideal boxing talent. Frustration is the ideal motor for violence. The ruthless Marko is the best in his club at an early age, even though he doesn’t have any technique. One day, the crooked businessmen Gerd Hermsbach enters his life. Hermsbach wants to invest in him and turn him into a pro, but there are some conditions attached to the deal. Marko enters the real (under)world. And then the (melo)drama can unfold. Not every actor can carry a boxing film. The boxing film is the most physical genre that exists (okay, with the exception of porn) and in addition, Raging Bull (Robert De Niro) is a very hard film to beat. Brühl is very convincing and gives his Marko an element of vulnerability and sadness. A boxer who can lose. That does not make it easier (because here too Raging Bull is the norm), but Brühl also wins as he loses. (GjZ)