And we’ve got another round of advance looks from MTI with The Nail, a direct to video comic drama about boxing and the lives that make up the sweet science. You’ll be able to get your hands on this one September 8th, and trust me, you’ll want to.
The Nail follows Joey “The Nail” Nardone, a former boxing great sent to prison over an accident in a bar one night. Eight years later, he’s out, and looking for redemption. He finds it in 14 year old Jesus, whom he helps turn into a boxer to take on the various bullies and problems in his life.
Most of the time, The Nail will prove to be uplifting and downright entertaining, as a man helps a boy become a man, and in the process, help to right in some small way that which once went wrong. I know, how very Quantum Leap of me, but it’s no less accurate. This isn’t so much a movie about boxing as it is about boxers.
However, some of it is a bit overblown. Pretty much everything with Jesus’ abusive father comes to mind, for example. Maybe I don’t understand Latino culture, but when I saw this man beat his son within an inch of his life because someone else bought him a pair of shoes I was completely dumbfounded. Is this the reaction of an abusive parent? As best I can tell that’s not the reaction of an actual human being.
Is it that he takes offense to a gift? Or that he’s simply offended by the existence of shoes? It’s like Al Bundy just went insane. In Spanish.
Aside from this small hiccup in the narrative, The Nail will prove to be a wonderful movie that shows us the deep power of the human spirit, the capacity for endurance, and the incredible force one can bring to bear in defense of a righteous cause.
The Screenhead Ten Scale rewards The Nail with an eight out of ten. This is no ordinary sports movie–this is much better than the ordinary. It’s a downright wonder, and worth every second of your time.
Popularity: unranked [?]
