Coalville Gold is directed by Ross Bolidai.
“Once a hardened criminal, Stevie finds redemption and fame in bare knuckle boxing. When he breaks his hand, loses the love of his life, and is challenged to a rematch against a far more experienced boxer, he has only his family and himself to lead him to victory.”
You would expect a film about bare knuckle boxing to be painful, and it is. But it’s not the boxing that had me wincing, it’s the forced personal drama between bouts. Oof. The training (cf Rocky, 1976) and fighting sequences are beautifully filmed and it is easy to see why people take part in these events.
An all too brief account of a post-mining town, industrial decay all around, full of lads with nothing better to do.
The focus is on Stevie Gold, a 24 year old giant toddler-man with tattoos and a near-constant grin. I bet he was a big baby when he was born. I bet he was 14lbs. More wincing.
I recommend Coalville Gold as a pre-feature short to play at a screening of The Fighter (2010).
https://vimeo.com/158171375
