REAL STEEL
US, 2011, 127 minutes. Colour.
Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo, Evangeline Lilly, Kevin Durand, Anthony Mackie, Hope Davis, James Rebhorn, Olga Fonda, Karl Yune.
Directed by Shawn Levy.
Video games alive!
First of all, so many reviews are going to mention The Champ and Rocky, that I will mention them now as well. Plus Rollerball, Death Race and other futuristic sports films that emphasise smashing competitions and fanatical audiences.
But...
This is meant to be a family film and a film about family. There is plenty of noise, plenty of crashing of real steel against real steal, but it is geared to a PG rating.
Hugh Jackman (one of the best actors to convey both charm, geniality and toughness even when he plays an unsympathetic character) is Charley, a wanderer who is reckless and certainly no planner with his life and his work. He goes from carnival to carnival or rodeo or venue for robotic boxing (yes, that is the subject of the film), sometimes winning, often losing, always in debt. He is no good at relationships either, not having seen his wife or son for a decade or more, fickle even with the daughter of a gym owner (Evangeline Lilly) who had been a father-figure to him. This we see in the early scenes.
But, again...
With his wife’s death, what is he to do with his 11 year old son? Get some cash so that he can be happily cared for by his wife’s sister and her husband (Hope Davis and James Rebhorn). But, Max, the son, wants to go on the road with him, especially when he sees his dad’s new robot fighter, the gigantic Noisy Boy.
For a while, it all goes badly, with Max being more intelligent and practically sensible than his father. Fate intervenes, and Max discovers an old robot which he cleans, fixes, trains and we are firmly in The Champ territory as father and son bond, and in Rocky territory with the build up to a huge fight in a fashionable New York arena, with fashionable and wealthy crowds and media, where Atom takes on the champion, Zeus, and its arrogant inventor and owner. The screenplay mentions David and Goliath. The ending is only 90% predictable. But, it is smiles and tears galore.
Dakota Goya is the name of the young Canadian actor who plays Max. He has had a considerable career already (was the young Thor), but he stands out here, an extraordinarily confident and credible performance by an 11 year old.
Which seems to mean that, while boxing films are not a favourite and, on paper, I might not have liked Real Steel, I realised by the end that I had been caught up and did enjoy it, predictability, steel crunching and pounding and all.
1. In the tradition of films like The Champ, The Karate Kid, Rocky, Rollerball?
2. The target audience – adults, young boys?
3. The 2020 setting, near future, comparisons with the present, similarities? Sports, crowds, violence?
4. Audience response to robots, their technology, humanoid, knowledge required, computer skills, manipulation skills, the use of the robots, sport?
5. The fight scenes, the robots themselves, their appearance, size, skill in movement, leaping, the boxing techniques, the fights and hits without human pain? The bashing, the victories and defeats? The voice communication? The shadow style?
6. The human story, the father, abandoning his son, his dead wife, the meeting with the son again, the emotional crisis, being together, the bonding, the father finding his true self?
7. Charlie, driving, going to the carnival, asking five dollars of the girls for the photos of the robot, his bet against the bull, the bull charging and destroying his robot, losing the money, the confrontation with Ricky, his escape? His other debts? His friendship with Bailey? Their past, her father and his being a father figure? Buying Noisy Boy? Meeting Max, his skills? Ricky's comeuppance?
8. The meeting with Debra and her husband? The death of his wife? The court case? The agreement, signing away his son, taking the money, Max and his wanting to go with Charlie? Debra’s husband and the secret giving of cash?
9. Hugh Jackman as Charlie, charm, reckless, not a planner, owing money, getting out of debts, casual relationships, with Max’s mother, with Bailey? His buying Noisy Boy, the promotion? With Max, the failure of Noisy Boy? His not understanding the techniques of the computer? The destruction of Noisy Boy?
10. Max and Charlie, going out to the junk yard, the search, the searchlight? Finding the parts, Max and his falling down the cliff, the waterfall? His being saved by the arm of the robot? Discovering Atom? The bond with Charlie, the tension in Charlie’s saving him from falling? Max dragging Atom back, cleaning it, fixing it? Discovering the shadow function?
11. Charlie, Bailey, their talk, Bailey and the need for money, her father’s gymnasium, Charlie and his irresponsibility, the past love?
12. Atom, going to the zoo, the man in charge, the crowds gathering, the bets, Atom and his defeating the robot?
13. Zeus, the inventor, Farra and her control? Attitude? Wanting to buy Atom?
14. Atom, his victory? Max using his skills, the voice? Max and his taking the microphone, the challenge to Farra? The challenge to Zeus? His self-confidence? His ability to speak directly to Charlie, guiding him in what he should do?
15. Max, the training of Atom, the movement and the dancing together? Its being used in the ring? The audience response? Max saying he would dance as long as Charlie used his boxing techniques for Atom?
16. The build-up to the confrontation with Zeus? Debra giving her permission – and she and her husband attending? The David and Goliath contest? The Rocky kind of contest? Farra and the inventor, their watching, the pounding that Atom received, the domination of Zeus? Zeus losing his voice contact? Max persuading Charlie to box, Charlie’s reluctance, Charlie coming out of himself, his boxing techniques? The defeat of Zeus? The judges giving in favour, the win being a popular victory? Max and his response?
17. Max, the relationship with Charlie? Charlie giving him back to Debra and her husband? What would the future hold? A happy ending?
