- It was about half an hour into Mark Robson's excellent Champion that I suddenly realized Kirk Douglas was going to be the villain of the film. Not its flawed hero or even its tragic anti-hero, but instead the cause of tragedy for essentially every other character in the movie. As boxer Midge Kelly, Douglas plays a driven and egotistical man who wants nothing more in the world than to be taken seriously. When he's hopping trains or hitchhiking across the country with his long-suffering brother Connie (Arthur Kennedy), you can appreciate his desire for a little respect. When he graduates to discarding his friends, lovers, and managers for anyone who will help him get ahead, he's officially crossed over into villain territory.
- Speaking of lovers, the film's tagline "every woman goes for a champion" proves amusingly true in Champion as three different women all take turns hanging on Kelly's arm. Emma (Ruth Roman) is the first and most sympathetic, particularly once Kelly abandons her after their shotgun wedding. She later helps Connie take care of Kelly's mother (Esther Howard), so she is quite possibly the most charitable person in the world. The other two women (Marilyn Maxwell, Lola Albright) both ditch their beaus (John Daheim, Luis van Rooten) in favor of Kelly, although the boxer has a way of making people pay far more than karma would ever dictate. In one of my favorite scenes from the film, Kelly stops fooling around with his manager's wife as part of a contract negotiation. Now that's morality!
- Upon further reflection, I should have noticed early on that Kelly's boxing nemesis (Daheim) was the kindest and most decent opponent ever. Yeah, that definitely points to Kelly being the heel.
- Although it would have been an interesting film under any circumstances, Champion is helped tremendously by two terrific acting performances. As Kelly, Douglas channels his natural magnetism into a destructive force that the other characters in the film can never quite avoid. The other great performance is from the undeservedly obscure character actor Paul Stewart, who is perfect as Kelly's reluctant and world-weary manager. The film's cinematography is at its best in the ring, although its music sometimes strives to overpower whatever is happening onscreen. And then there's the ending. I can honestly say that I did not expect the final route this film took, which made me appreciate the final tragedy all the more. As his brother notes, Kelly really "went out like a champion."
