Every now and then comes a film that baffles you and makes you wonder about the intention of the same. Torsten Ruether’s English-language remake of his own 2021 film “Leberhaken”, rebranded as “Uppercut” (2025) for the American audience, is a listless and aimless sports drama that is a simple derivative of hundreds of films of the same genre. As a result, you are left not just watching paint dry but also watching a badly shot footage of paint, of the color you find most jarringly dry.
Uppercut (2025) Plot Summary and Movie Synopsis:
The film starts with a sharply dressed Toni Williams (Luise Großmann) providing a pep talk, which she thinks is sharp, to her fighter, Payne Harris (Jordan E. Cooper). The story, then, goes a few years back. “Uppercut” jumps between these two timelines repeatedly, almost at random. We see a younger Toni, a college student, walking down the New York alleys, eating pizza, and enjoying hip-hop. With a fleeting moment of determination, she walks into a deserted gym and demands the gym owner to train her.
Well, this gym owner is Elliot Duffond (Ving Rhames), a champion boxer of his time. Toni seems to have studied the man well. It is through her that we are informed that Elliot would have a lot more titles if not for a backhanded hit from his opponent in one match. That bout changed the career of Elliot. He is now a begrudging old man who is perpetually in a bad mood. With the promise of cleaning his gym, Toni manages to convince Elliot. To try to train her, at the very least.
In the future timeline, Toni is a highly successful and coveted manager in the boxing world. There is a subplot showing how a pregnant Toni meets Payne Harris for the first time. Despite her initial reluctance, Payne’s doggedness wins her over. In the current timeline, where Toni gave Payne the encouraging words, we have a championship match for Payne. The commentators provide a rundown of the fighters, and it does not seem too encouraging for Payne. He is the underdog in the fight.
In addition, Toni does not go to the arena to stand by her fighter, which the film makes a big deal about as commentators and reporters keep noticing her absence. It appears that Toni does not attend any matches by presenting herself at the corner of her fighter. Instead, she chooses to watch the match on television in a room above the fighting arena.
Uppercut (2025) Movie Ending Explained:
Why Did Elliot Reject Toni?
Interspersing scenes between future Toni’s room and past Toni’s activities in Elliot’s gym imply the inherent connection between them. Back in the gym, we see Elliot training Toni. The usual montage of training sequences follows. Elliot throws tennis balls at Toni to improve her dodging reflexes. He has her sit up and down till her legs get sore. In between those activities, the two forge a friendship. Toni tells Elliot about her time in community service. While playing Soccer, she got into a fight with one of the opponents. Toni was in the right, but her violent act got her in front of a judge.
When asked why she wants to become a boxer, Toni replies that she wants to form an identity separate from her father. We do not exactly get how her father figures into this. She also mentions having a boyfriend named Darius. Darius prefers her when she slips into a ‘girly’ dress and attends cocktail parties. Her ‘sporty’ side is not approved by him. She is rightfully angry at that. But none of her reasons seem strong enough to take up boxing.
Elliot senses this. He doubts Toni’s love for boxing. He figures Toni is desperate to make her own identity. She is not as passionate about boxing as she is passionate about not shaping her future by a predetermined mold. Her asking to be trained to be a boxer is a cry for help. As boxing would be the sport that would scandalize Darius the most, Toni, perhaps subconsciously, chooses it. It is a whim, not a dream. Elliot realizes that; he rejects Toni by saying she does not have what it takes to become a boxer.
Why Did Toni Not Go to the Match?
“Uppercut” tries to imply that the night spent in Elliot’s gym shaped Toni, even if it did not exactly work the way young Toni had hoped. Elliot did not train her to be a boxer. But he did train her. To be ready. To have the confidence to be anything she wants in life. Tony could not become a boxer. But she became a boxer manager. And it appears she is one of the best at that.
So, why does she not show her solidarity by being physically present during the match? The film shows she keeps on talking with her husband on the phone, who is Darius, by the way. She keeps track of her daughter’s health. But it still does not explain why she has never shown her face in the arena during the fight. It is like her assistant says, despite all her success, she is still afraid of losing this. She has the aura of being invincible. The current Toni is indomitable. However, she is at her most vulnerable when the fight starts. She does not want her fighter, and the world, to see her like that.
Did Payne Win?
As the commentators predict, despite a fine start, Payne starts to lose his way as the match progresses. Toni’s absence seems to inflict doubt on her champion fighter’s mind. Her assistant pleads to go down and show her face to Payne. But Toni still does not. As she remembers her final conversation with Elliot, Payne is knocked off his feet. Toni starts to draw energy from that memory, but the referee counts to ten. Payne does not win the match. But, Toni runs to the arena. Toni is no longer afraid to show her vulnerability to the world. Despite losing the bout, Payne wins in the long run as Toni is going to be present in his corner from now on. The future looks bright for Payne.
Uppercut (2025) Movie Review:
As mentioned already, “Uppercut” is an American-audience-friendly remake of writer-director Torsten Ruether’s debut German film. Perhaps, Ruether was more sure-footed in the German original. Having not seen that, I can neither confirm nor deny it. However, in a more alien language and culture, Ruether’s hapless struggles are glaring.
At its core, “Uppercut” presents an intriguing premise. It is rare for a protagonist to be destined for failure only to succeed in a different way. Toni Williams’ journey from having her dreams shattered to fulfilling the dreams of others could have been a poignantly rewarding experience. But Ruether traveling to uncharted territories meant the unfortunate reliance on stereotypes and cliches. The boxing drama is loquacious and character-driven. However, Ruether’s appalling and formulaic English dialogue writing severely undercuts the conversation-laden scenes.
As for being character-driven, the abhorrent execution ensures the film’s lead characters never rise above the mawkish boundaries set by their stereotypes. A strictly professional acting performance by Ving Rhames is the best part of the film; that says a lot about Luise Großmann’s tepid attempts to make Toni Williams her own. Perhaps she was better at it in the German original, but she could not help but succumb to her dull character with an even duller portrayal here. With minimal boxing actions and sub-plots going nowhere, “Uppercut” is a sad outcome of earnestness not being nearly enough.
