Joe and Max (2002) (TV)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Steve James

Writer (WGA):

Jason Horwitch (written by)

Release Date:

3 March 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Sport | War

Plot:

True story of boxers Joe Louis and Max Schmeling and their enduring friendship. |

Plot Keywords:

Boxer | Friendship | Boxing Match | Paul Joseph Goebbels | Racial Slur

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Leonard Roberts	...	Joe Louis
Til Schweiger	...	Max Schmeling
Peta Wilson	...	Anny Ondra
Richard Roundtree	...	Jack Blackburn
John Toles-Bey	...	John Roxborough
David Paymer	...	Joe Jacobs
Jürgen Schornagel	...	Max Machon
Bruce Weitz	...	Mike Jacobs
Siena Goines	...	Marva
Paul Collins	...	Jim Farley
Frank-Lorenz Engel	...	Georg Grosz
Rolf Kanies	...	Hitler
J.J. Gordon	...	Laurence Paulson
Peter Pauli	...	Heinrich Mann
August Zirner	...	David Lewin

Also Known As:

Joe and Max - Rivalen im Ring (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for fight sequences and brief strong language.

Runtime:

France:109 min (video version) | Germany:106 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English | German | Italian

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Sweden:11 | USA:PG-13 | Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Babelsberg, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany

Company:

Gemini Film

Movie Connections:

Version of Ring of Passion (1978) (TV)

Well-crafted and underrated

I was surprised at the low overall rating this movie got. It won a Best Editing award, and the fine photography, editing, and one of the best jobs of musical scoring I have ever heard, alone, make it very watchable. Shot mostly on location in Berlin, check out the production design. Better than many feature films completed on ten times the budget. The interiors and exteriors of Harlem nightclubs and Third Reich headquarters never looked more accurate or better lit. I agree that there is some mis-casting, and while the acting isn't Oscar caliber, it isn't bad either. As far as being a movie for boxing fans only--no. I have no interest whatsoever in sports, and found the story compelling. The wider influence that sports has on society is an interesting context. Max Snelling getting big corporate sponsorship just months after honing a reputation as one of the worlds most hated personas--brings to mind parallels in todays celebrity-driven scene.