The semi-nude aging man is dancing in his depleted living room, although he is long past his prime, he shows himself to be in good shape as he performs some boxing moves while holding a whisky bottle, he reeks threat. The environment, with its bleached colours, lighted by a thin sunlight crossing through the windows, mirrors the state he finds himself in. Bernard “Bang Bang” Rozyski was a primetime boxer in his day; now, he is a memory of a bygone era filled with resentment, loneliness, and trauma. This demanding performance, which showcases great corporeal language and emotional depth, is delivered by legendary character actor Tim Blake Nelson (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs), who is the highlight of the competent picture drama ‘Bang Bang’ (2025).
Director Vincent Grashaw tells the story of the retired “Bang Bang” Rozyski as he rekindles with his estranged grandson, Justin (Andrew Liner), and trains him in the sport that gave “Bang Bang” his claim to fame but also stole his happiness and innocence from a young age.
The movie doubles as a coming-of-age story for the supporting character Justin, who is played with diligence by Liner and represents a new opportunity at parenting for the lead. Still, it is primarily a character study for Rozyski that peels back the personality of boxers, straying from the clichés of an underdog aiming for a successful comeback to his previous status, thus bringing this fictional tale closer to the reality of the majority of the sweet science gladiators, whom I’ve followed as a boxing writer.
Rozyski’s grudge with former opponent Darnell Washington (Glenn Plummer) bleeds on the screen as an unhealed old scar pouring dark red blood. Washington is a loud boxer reminiscent of the great Black fighters of the past, a departure from Plummer’s more famous past roles. Washington gives a speech to Rozyski about the realities of boxing and life itself, mirroring the late Michael Gambon’s monologue in the British gangster classic ‘Layer Cake’ (2004), and forcing “Bang Bang” to mature.
Another stance where ‘Bang Bang’ avoids clichés is by humanising the cop character, Officer Flores, by not making her a die-hard hero nor a straight-out prejudicial villain, which gains nuance through the acting skills of Daniella Pineda, who Hollywood should consider casting in leading lady roles.
‘Bang Bang’ uses Detroit as its narrative; the movie is immersed in a city that is a far-cry from its glorious Motor City past, but the picture doesn’t go for easy emotions, like showing a ghost town. It presents a mostly blue-collar environment struggling amidst an America that has gone through too many socio-economic crises, thus too much pain. Still, there is room to love, as seen in how a trio of college-age youngsters receive ‘Bang Bang’ or the fondness that the local Polish community shows towards him, as many victorious boxers are a beacon to the places and people they hail from.
The clothing department also helps tell the story, and Rozyski’s golden Trans-Am automobile helps further his character presence as it is a signal to how people perceive their past to have been better than it actually was, how cars are extensions of their drivers’ personalities, and our never-ending addiction to 80s nostalgia, including its negative aspects. Not to forget that the Trans-Am looks gorgeous in the picture.
Another merit is that the feature doesn’t show “the fall of an icon,” a subject that media vampirizes as outlets like as much to make new idols as to destroy them and move on to the other, ‘Bang Bang’ performs the aftermath of the fall, the lingering destructive behaviours and patterns and how the opportunity for redemption can come late and is not guaranteed to be sweet.
