Movie Digest
Underdog is a movie about three boxers who are all Underdogs. Akira Suenaga, is a boxer who struggles for his success. Shun Miyagi, challenges a boxer by following the plans of a TV program and Ryuta Omura is a young boxer, grown up in an orphanage. Three Underdogs with different back stories put their pride on the line as they exchange blows.
The Feel-Good Part
Underdog sustains a balance of emotional entanglement, storytelling and fisticuffs. It has an amazing narrative with lots of thrilling boxing action. The narrative is psychological in nature and feels like the entire rocky franchise is rolled into one. The scenes in the ring are authentic, fast and furious.
The Disappointing Factor
People who are not much into sports genre and action stuff have to keep enough patience throughout the movie as they might be daunted by the length of this slow moving epos which is 4 hours 36 min. It drags with superficial characterization and bland dialogues.
In-Depth Analysis
Underdog tells the story of three bottom-dogs boxers who gets used as punching bags. Omura Ryuta is a youngster who grew up in foster care. Suenaga Akira is a pro in boxing, who fell off the path to greatness but still tries to crawl his way to the top. Miyagi Shun is a TV star with famous parents, he takes a shot for boxing as part of a TV show.
Star Power
The role Akira may have been written as a blockhead but Ryuta and Shun were far more interesting roles. All three of them played their role incredibly on their part, like real boxers.
Overall Opinion
The training sequences, boxing scenes and the finale is engaging and thrilling, pure and simple. The director takes the spectator on a huge adventure that reveals an emotional and cathartic way, the importance of finding meaning in one’s life.
Underdog powerfully and beautifully shows that the heroism of the art of boxing lies in the subjective meaning that power the hooks, uppercut and jabs.
