The Harder They Fall (1956)
Directed by Mark Robson

Film Review

One of the most compelling and grimmest screen depictions of professional boxing, The Harder They Fall is a film that packs no punches and portrays the sport in its worst possible light - as a sickeningly brutal industry controlled by unscrupulous crooks and racketeers.  Whilst the plot may appear somewhat far-fetched today, when it was made the kind of egregious match-fixing it portrays was endemic in America and the film doubtless played its part in the polemic that led to tighter regulatory controls.

The Harder They Fall is a superlative example of film noir realism, and it is a film that had a significant influence on subsequent boxing films, notably Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull (1980).  The stark black-and-white photography and use of real locations gives the film both impact and a strikingly dramatic realism, whilst Mark Robson's crisp, modern direction and the frenetic editing vividly evoke the ugly brutality of the world it portrays.  What the film shows us is a world that reeks with corruption and cynical self-interest, where the most venal money-grubbing sharks prey on the naivety of boxers to make a fast buck, heedless of the damage they may cause.  It is not a comfortable film to watch but, once you are in, you are hooked.

In what would prove to be his final film appearance, Humphrey Bogart gives a commanding performance, perfectly cast as the burned out sportswriter who allows himself to be drawn into the murky business of match-fixing.  It is the kind of role in which Bogart excels and which audiences loved him for - the tough, amoral character who gets into bed with the wrong people, experiences a life-changing crisis of conscience and ultimately emerges as the good guy who somehow manages to save his own soul. if not the day.  Although he was in poor health whilst making the film, suffering the early symptoms of the throat cancer that would soon claim his life, the actor manages to give a first rate performance - considered, forceful and charged with pathos.   Bogart could hardly have chosen to end his career in a better way - railing against unbridled greed and championing the cause of the honest man.

Film Synopsis

Down-at-heel sportswriter Eddie Willis accepts a commission from crooked boxing promoter Nick Benko to publicise an unknown heavyweight boxer Toro Moreno.  In a trial fight, it is immediately apparent to Willis that Moreno has no ability as a boxer, but Benko assures him that he cannot lose a match, not after he has bought off his opponents.  Sure enough, thanks to Benko's match-fixing, Moreno triumphs in a series of matches, and it looks as if he might achieve his dream of winning the world championship.  However, when an opponent dies from injuries sustained in one of his matches, Moreno has second thoughts and is adamant that he be allowed to quit.  With so much money at stake, Benko is no mood to let him go..