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Does the world really need another boxing movie?
Then again, boxing movies are rarely about just boxing.
Credit: ILLUSTRATION by RYAN INZANA for EW
Theyre ready-made metaphor machines.The Fighteris about blue-collar pride and brotherly love.
Ali is about political defiance and principle.
Rocky, of course, wants to make his gruff, cauliflower-eared father figure, Mickey, proud.
It doesnt even have to be between men.
Remember Hilary Swanks Maggie Fitzgerald inMillion Dollar Baby?
She has to fight before her trainer (Clint Eastwood) even gives her the chance to fight.
You dont have to be a boxing aficionado to see the appeal in that.
Its universal, timeless.
And anyone whos ever been underestimated can relate to it.
When movie boxing is done well, it can hit you with the shattering force of an uppercut.
Maybe thats why we keep answering the bell, ready for the next round.
