One Last Bloom
One Last Bloom is probably best compared to other boxing movies like Million Dollar Baby, and less to the Rockies or Apollos. Its a very slow paced movie, one where you have a boxer down on his luck trying to get an older, wiser trainer to train him.
In between, you have to deal with the older trainer having his own personal issues (both health and familial), the young boxer being too aggressive for his own good, and the slices of life that is such a hallmark of japanese cinema.
I can’t say I did not enjoy the movie, but I feel that if I had to pick a few boxing movies, this wouldn’t make top 10.
Its well executed, and the storylines weren’t bad per se, but nothing about it stands out. The actual boxing is minimalistic and that’s fine as that’s not the focus of the film.
It does end on a bit of a downer, so do watch out for that if you’re interested in this.
My recommendation? Skip and go watch Million Dollar Baby again. =)