Resurrecting the Champ

The story of a journalist and a homeless man. Erik is a sportswriter. His pieces attract no attention and his editor tells him so plainly. His father was a famous sports broadcaster and the comparison is always in front of him. One night he saves a man being attacked in the street. The man is homeless; he presents himself as a former boxer and says his name is Champ. He describes fighting a world champion fifty years ago. Erik sees a story in it. He talks to the man, takes recordings, and the piece runs. It attracts great attention and his career opens up overnight. Then a problem appears: not all of it is true. The subject is verification. There are things Erik did not check while writing, and the appeal of the story made him careless. The narrative starts from a real newspaper article. Josh Hartnett plays Erik, Samuel L. Jackson plays Champ and Alan Alda the editor. Rod Lurie directed. A solid example for anyone who likes stories about reporting and character drama. For a viewer expecting a boxing film, there is almost no fighting in it.