Tribeca Festival Review: ‘Bang Bang’ is a Career Highlight From Tim Blake Nelson

Boxing films tend to follow a certain formula. That’s just inherent in the genre. They’re sports dramas where the fight out of the ring tends to be as important, or even more important, than the one inside of the ring. Bang Bang doesn’t upend that, to be sure, but it does manage to utilize the formula to its advantage. Plus, having an ace actor doing top-tier work doesn’t hurt, either. This is the most satisfying movie at the Tribeca Festival that I’ve seen this year.

Bang Bang doesn’t run away from who boxers can be, instead looking at a complicated figure with deep curiosity. The material is an actor’s dream, which you see play out hypnotically on the screen by way of Tim Blake Nelson. Do you often like what our protagonist is up to? No. Are you compelled at all times to see what he does next? You better believe it.

Bernard ‘Bang Bang’ Rozyski (Nelson) is an eccentric former boxer living in squalor, bemoaning what has become of Detroit. When we meet him, he’s gone to observe his one-time rival and now Mayoral candidate, Darnell Washington (Glenn Plummer), with the intent to kill him. He doesn’t pull the trigger, but when he arrives home, his estranged daughter Jen (Nina Arianda) is there with his grandson Justin (Andrew Liner). Harangued into looking after the teen for a while, Bang is pretty pissed, until he notices some anger in the kid. Then, a plan begins to form.

Inspired to get Justin into boxing, Bang begins training him. Getting help from friend John Eton (Kevin Corrigan), there’s a plan to get the kid into a fight quickly. Everyone around him is questioning why, wondering if Bang is finding his old fight again, bonding with his grandson, or plotting something nefarious. One thing is clear, however, and that’s the fact that something from his past is haunting him, which Bang has designs on rectifying.

Tim Blake Nelson really shines in this picture. This is one of his finest performances, both amusing and engaging, with moments of heartbreak thrown in. He’s invested in every element of Bang, which makes this an incredibly familiar yet unique character. The distinctive quirks mix with some real seediness to make him an American Original, which Nelson is more than game to breathe life into. Glenn Plummer is fine, though Andrew Liner doesn’t make as much of an impression as you might have hoped. He very much winds up in the shadow of Nelson, understandably so. Nina Arianda and Kevin Corrigan don’t have a ton to do, but make the most of their moments. The rest of the cast includes Erica Gimpel, Daniella Pineda, and more, but this is Nelson’s show.

Director Vincent Grashaw and writer Will Janowitz know to focus on Nelson, which pays dividends. Some of the plot is boxing movie 101, but the cliches do kind of work in its favor. There are times where that’s not the case, but Grashaw and Janowitz understand their protagonist, so even when they put him in some unbelievable situations, they manage to bring it back home, especially with a gut punch of an ending.

Bang Bang is a knockout, led by Tim Blake Nelson doing some of his best work to date. It’s a Tribeca highlight and a real showcase for one of our best character actors. This one, even with some minor flaws, deserves to find an audience outside of the festival. Nelson deserves to really get some attention for this one.

SCORE: ★★★