Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

Sam Jackson Slugs It Out With Himself

Resurrecting the Champ

(PG-13; 111 minutes)

Samuel L. Jackson can do anything. Well, almost anything.

He couldn’t make box-office hits out of “Snakes on a Plane” or “Black Snake Moan.” But he seemed to have fun filming them, and his performances in both were enjoyably campy.

Jackson does serious stuff, too. In “Resurrecting the Champ,” he makes us care about a homeless stumblebum — an alcoholic ex-pugilist with no friends and a foul smell.

Jackson has the dubious title role in this intriguing, realistic drama from director Rod Lurie (”The Contender”).

Sarcastically dubbed ”The Champ” by abusive local bullies, this guy is accidentally discovered by a struggling sportswriter at the local paper. Josh Hartnett (”Pearl Harbor,” “The Black Dahlia”) brings heart to the role of a reporter who needs a good story. When he learns that his local trash-picker is a once-famous fighter, he believes he has the sports scoop of the year — or at least a human interest piece that will salvage his career.

Based on an L.A. Times magazine article, “Resurrecting the Champ” is a story of faith and redemption. But it’s not the story you expect — it takes odd twists and even asks us to ponder the nature of fame and personality while we follow an unlikely tale.

Set in Denver, filmed partly there and partly in Calgary, this modest drama gives Jackson a chance to capture and hold an audience with sheer character strength and naturalistic humor. He may be a faded fighter, but his charisma still packs a wallop.

We score this round a B.