Glass Chin

Greetings again from the darkness. "Glory Days, well they'll pass you by" is a familiar line sung by Bruce Springsteen, and writer/director Noah Buschel brings that New Jersey sentiment to his latest film. We follow the travails of a former boxer struggling with the faded spotlight and his perceived lack of respect, while also seemingly oblivious to the maintenance his personal relationship requires.

Corey Stall (familiar to "House of Cards" fans) plays Bud "The Saint" Gordon, a retired boxer whose self-named local neighborhood hangout recently closed its doors. Bud is trying to figure out how to reclaim the good life afforded by his boxing winnings, and is opposed to his girlfriend Ellen (Marin Ireland) taking a waitress job to help out. He agrees to train a young up-and-coming boxer prepare for a fight, while also agreeing to work with a shady shyster named J.J. (Billy Crudup). Bud and J.J. have a history, and it's soon pretty clear that J.J. is some type of offbeat (he owns a snow leopard) kingpin or mobster, who finds a financial and psychological edge in all dealings.

Yul Vazquez plays J.J.'s lead henchman and has the "flashiest" (his character name is Flash) role in the film, although Crudup's character could have been even more fun if allotted more screen time. Also making brief appearances are Kelly Lynch, Katherine Waterston, and David Johansen. Of course, Mr. Johansen is a former member of The New York Dolls, and their song "Trash" plays a key role in one of Bud's earliest scenes working with Flash.

There is an unmistakable class theme – the have's vs the have-nots. The two sides are clear in Manhattan vs. New Jersey, and J.J. vs. Bud. The most interesting part of the story is with Bud's attempt to figure out the harsh ways of life, even as we viewers recognize he requires no shades for his future. Although both themes are pretty familiar in the movie world, Mr. Buschel opts to only scratch the surface on both the faded hero and the mob world. Instead, it's more of a dialogue-driven drama that questions where the line in the morality sand is drawn.

Glass Chin tells the story of a failed boxer as he gets tied up in a blackmail scheme with an underworld figure. In what could be the anti-Rocky film, Glass Chin benefits from a fantastic cast and brilliant cinematography but fails to deliver anything remotely surprising or invigorating to the genre. Starring Corey Stoll and Billy Crudup, the film's performances alone are worth the watch. Stoll plays Bud "The Saint" Greene, a disgraced but talented fighter from New Jersey and plays the role brilliantly. The film is designed to showcase the talented actor's ability to complete inhabit a character without any hesitation or reluctance. Much to the credit of director Noah Buschel, the design and style of this film allows his actors to really expand their range and create dynamically layered characters. JJ is played by Billy Crudup with some heavy handed relishing of the gangster character clichés that sometimes plays to the film's advantage and other times feels like Crudup is trying to deliver the next great line of dialog in American cinema and it doesn't pay off. Despite this, Crudup delivers a very good supporting performance. Kelly Lynch gives a good but routine performance as a femme fatale of sorts that we've seen countless times in virtually every noir film. Elizabeth Rodriguez delivers a tremendous performance in a role that is typically underused and paper thin. Writer-director Noah Buschel has crafted a strong noir film that resembles 1930s thriller cinema with each shot bursting with a subtle beauty. Glass Chin is definitely worth a watch.

Menace beneath the surface. Threat of violence always there but unusual for a boxing movie happens only off-screen. Acting top rate. Loved the camerawork. In some frames we are shown everything, others nothing.

Great cast, but did I miss something?. It was strange.

(2014) Glass Chin CRIME DRAMA

Co-Written and directed by Noah Buschel starring Corey Stoll as Bud also called "The Saint" who used to be a bi time boxer, and is now struggling to stay afloat. Once he agrees to get back on his feet again, by training another boxer, Kid Sunshine, (Malcolm Xavier), Bud then gets himself involved with an old former sleazeball acquaintance, a gangster named J. J. (Billy Crudup) with his paid goon, Roberto (Yul Vasquez).

The movie may have worked back in the hey days of film noir, that was a common theme starting from the 1940's but, as time has gone on, after many film noir films later it does not reach the same level of affect as opposed to the other movies made before it.