Iron Man (1951)

A coal miner (Jeff Chandler) is encouraged by his brother (Stephen McNally) to become a boxer. His fiancee (Evelyn Keyes) also likes the idea because of all the potential money he can make which will help them get out of the small mining town. Based on the novel by W.R. Burnett (LITTLE CAESAR) which was previously made in 1931 and directed by Joseph Pevney (TAMMY AND THE BACHELOR). Sadly, this is no CHAMPION or THE SET UP. It's a run of the mill boxing movie with no fresh perspective on the fighting game. The boxing sequences are done well and one can't fault the actors if their performances are unexceptional. There's not much they can do with the formulaic screenplay. There's an early appearance by a young Rock Hudson as Chandler's friend and rival boxer with some indication of screen presence that would make him one of the biggest stars of 1950s Hollywood. I'm not a boxing enthusiast so the film didn't do much for me but if you're a fight fan then perhaps you'll get more out of it than I did. With Jim Backus, James Arness and Joyce Holden.