Poor Boy's Game
Poor Boy's Game is yet another boxing film this time set in Halifax against a backdrop of prejudice that we like to believe doesn’t exist in this country. Joining an adept group of Canadian actors is Danny Glover as George, the dockworker father of Charles, a severely brain damaged son. Suspending disbelief that any minor in Canada would serve anywhere near 10 years incarcerated for anything, the film opens with the parole of Donnie Rose (Vancouver’s Rossif Sutherland – Keifer’s half brother) who is the author of Charles’ situation. George’s first instinct is to confront Donnie with a revolver but thinks better of it. Meantime the black community comes up with a better revenge – entice the pugilistic Donnie into a one sided boxing match with Ossie Paris, a title fighter who happened to have been trained by George. As the fight day draws near racial tensions heat up but for George and Donnie it’s a time for anger to abate. Their mutual change in attitude is puzzling until their face to face at the scene of the assault on Charles. Poor Boys Game is a game production but not quite a knockout.