Verdict
Summary
Everyone loves an underdog story, and while Queen of the Ring will undoubtedly draw comparisons to Rocky and a recent women’s boxing film called Christy, this one somehow overcomes its lower budget which sometimes is very apparent and it’s a winner simply because the lead is so compelling and perfectly cast in it. Director Ash Avildsen certainly comes from the right place, his father having directed Rocky and The Karate Kid, but he makes the genre his own here with a very earnest and down to earth approach. It’s certainly not as polished as it might’ve been under a studio banner, but as an indie feature, it’s more than adequate and well worth discovering.
Plot:
The story of Mildred Burke, an early female wrestling star.
Review:
Before it was legal for women to wrestle against each other in a ring (yes, there was such a time, and it wasn’t even that long ago), if women wanted to wrestle for titles and championships, they had to go through … let’s say, not such traditional means and ways to do that. A diner waitress in the 1930’s named Mildred Burke (Emily Bett Rickards, who is super appealing) finds herself wrestling men in the ring, and the crowd seems to love her. She finds a promoter named Billy (Josh Lucas) who will end up being her husband and abuser (and exploiter) later on, and using his knowledge of the wrestling circuit, he gets her name out there, and as she becomes famous in certain circles, her fame becomes an inspiration to women who are underappreciated, under seen, and used by men. Remember: This was pre-World War II America, and there were few female heroes at the time that embodied strength, power, and sexuality, and somehow Mildred embodied all of these traits just by being herself in the ring. As the sport gradually opened up to allow women to fight each other in the ring, Mildred became the first “Queen of the Ring,” and as the years pass she will inspire many thousands of women and girls … and yes, men too.
Everyone loves an underdog story, and while Queen of the Ring will undoubtedly draw comparisons to Rocky and a recent women’s boxing film called Christy, this one somehow overcomes its lower budget which sometimes is very apparent and it’s a winner simply because the lead is so compelling and perfectly cast in it. Director Ash Avildsen certainly comes from the right place, his father having directed Rocky and The Karate Kid, but he makes the genre his own here with a very earnest and down to earth approach. It’s certainly not as polished as it might’ve been under a studio banner, but as an indie feature, it’s more than adequate and well worth discovering.
Kino Lorber brings Queen of the Ring to Blu-ray, and it comes with deelted scenes, interviews, and the trailer.
