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On the Ropes

Play trailer Poster for On the Ropes Released Sep 24, 1999 1h 34m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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93% Tomatometer 14 Reviews 72% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
This documentary by Nanette Burstein and Brett Morgen follows the lives of three Brooklyn, N.Y., boxers and their trainer. George Walton is a veteran fighter whose early career was derailed by bad management. Seeking another shot at glory, he trains with Harry Keitt, an older ex-boxer who has dealt with his share of hard knocks. Keitt also works with Tyrene Manson, a tough female fighter from a troubled home, and Noel Santiago, a former gang member, who has skill but lacks motivation.

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On the Ropes

Critics Reviews

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Michael Sragow The New Yorker The filmmakers convey Harry and his fighters' victories and defeats with a soul-rocking combination of intimacy and intricacy. Aug 14, 2017 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times On the Ropes is a sports documentary as gripping, in a different way, as Hoop Dreams. Rated: 4/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Film Threat Rated: 3.5/5 Dec 6, 2005 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 3/5 Jun 26, 2005 Full Review Luke Y. Thompson New Times The American dream has not been so effectively fought for onscreen in a long, long time. Rated: 5/5 Jan 16, 2003 Full Review Film Threat Rated: 3.5/5 Dec 8, 2002 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member This was a real crap documentary. poor production value. Uninspiring and just down right depressing. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member a boxing documentary that fails at being interesting. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Audience Member The challenging and difficult lives of the boxers are moving, but the movie is a bit weak on overarching themes or motifs. As such, it falls into the pitfall of may low-budget documentaries: an interesting subject is told so starkly that it loses almost all sense of being interesting. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member I drank three or four beers while watching this and didn't even have a buzz by the end, it was that sobering. No one dies or anything. It's not like that. It's just that director Nanette Burstein, as she would eventually do with The Kid Stays in the Picture and most recently American Teen, paints such a stark picture of her subject matter. In this case, that means the three down-on-their-luck boxers who are busting their butts at the New-Bed-Stuy Boxing gym in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. As fascinating as those three were, the trainer Harry Keitt has perhaps the most gut-wrenching backstory and the most inspiring present-day story. Man, the stuff that guy's been through. If you think you have it rough and need a little perspective, check this out. Or watch it if you just want to see what great documentary filmmaking is about. Nanette Burstein is among the best in the biz. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member an inspiring and sometimes heartbreaking documentary. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Audience Member not as good as i wanted it to be but still good Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews
On the Ropes

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Cast & Crew

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Nanette Burstein

Director

Brett Morgen

Director

Martin Goldman

Self

Harry Keitt

Self

Randy Little

Self

Tyrene Manson

Self

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On the Ropes

On the Ropes On the Ropes (1999) On the Ropes (1999) On the Ropes (1999) On the Ropes (1999) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis This documentary by Nanette Burstein and Brett Morgen follows the lives of three Brooklyn, N.Y., boxers and their trainer. George Walton is a veteran fighter whose early career was derailed by bad management. Seeking another shot at glory, he trains with Harry Keitt, an older ex-boxer who has dealt with his share of hard knocks. Keitt also works with Tyrene Manson, a tough female fighter from a troubled home, and Noel Santiago, a former gang member, who has skill but lacks motivation.
Director
Nanette Burstein, Brett Morgen
Producer
Brett Morgen, Nanette Burstein
Distributor
Winstar Cinema
Production Co
Highway Films, The Learning Channel
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 24, 1999, Wide
Box Office (Gross USA)
$47.2K
Runtime
1h 34m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby
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