Plot: What’s it about?
The career of Muhammad Ali is the most celebrated of any boxer to ever enter a ring, perhaps even of any athlete in any sport. His wins, his losses, and even his personal life are well known and documented. When you talk about Ali, you discuss his fights, which were the best, the easiest, and the most action packed. When his bouts are discussed, a lot of high profile matches can be brought up, but one of his hardest fought bouts remains low in profile. But even Ali ranks the match as the toughest of his career and given the titans he faced in the ring, that statement holds an immense amount of weight. Ali’s hardest battle wasn’t against George Foreman or even another well known bruiser, it was against a scrapper named George Chuvalo. This fighter was a kind of real life Rocky Balboa, an unknown from the streets who clashed with the greatest of all time. Chuvalo was a working class scrapper from Toronto, a fighter who was expected to be dominated when he took on Ali. But the Battle of Toronto, as it was called, turned out to be more of a battle than anyone expected, as Chuvalo fought like a lion. The fight went the distance, all fifteen rounds and when the last bell had sounded, Ali claimed Chuvalo his toughtest opponent ever. In The Last Round, learn the whole story of this incredible event in sports history.
I am not often taken with documentaries, as the subject matter has to be just right and the style of the filmmakers has to mesh as well. In the case of The Last Round, I didn’t hold out much hope, as I am not much of a boxing fan. I gave the film a spin however, as the premise seemed strong and I was intrigued by the concept. I knew of Chuvalo and his timeless clash with Ali, but I didn’t know much about the man beyond that. As it turns out, filmmaker Joseph Blasioli has crafted a picture that not only warrants attention from boxing lovers, but anyone who appreciates an uplifting story or a great human interest piece. I think a boxing fan will enjoy The Last Round more than most, but this is more about the man, not the sport itself. But boxing does play a large role in Chuvalo’s life, so the sport is given ample screen time. Blasioli lets the material have room to breathe, but is brisk with the editing and that ensures the pace is never slow. The Last Round runs over nintety minutes, but no scenes drag on and movement is frequent. Chuvalo’s story is a fantastic one, even to those not into boxing and Blasioli balances the film as such. He never resorts to boxing clips as filler either, which I was somewhat concerned about before I viewed the film. In the end, The Last Round is a terrific movie that deserves a look on home video.
Video: How does it look?
The Last Round is presented in full frame, as intended. This picture takes elements from numerous sources, some old and some more recent. The result is a varied, but always solid visual presence. The archive footage is worn at times, with inconsistent properties, but that is to be expected in this case. The newer material has a cleaner, crisper look to it of course, just as it should, since it isn’t as old. So don’t expect a reference level transfer, but given the material involved, this is a more than adequate treatment.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio here is rather basic, as the film is more about dialogue than music or brash sound effects. So if you’ve seen a documentary before, you should know what to expect, a track that is clean and effective, but unmemorable. Then again, we wouldn’t want a dynamic track in this case, as it would distract from the material too much. We need to focus on the people and their dialogue, not the surround channels. The dialogue is smooth and always clear here, so no vocals wind up muffled or drowned out by other elements. All in all, a solid soundtrack and in the case of The Last Round, that’s all we need.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a statement from filmmaker Joseph Blasioli.
