Requiem for a Heavyweight:"Mountain Rivera was no punk. Mountain Rivera was almost the Heavyweight Champion of the World! "

Ralph Nelson's Requiem for a Heavyweight, returns us to the more traditional boxing movie. It focuses on the arc of a boxer after leaving the ring, but contains many of the same thematic elements of a boxing film. Economic stagnation and exploitation, the difference between real and fake, entertainment and sport, etc.

One of the most important parts of this film is the interactions Mountain has with other people. His developing relationship with the unemployment worker, and his established relationship with his manager, have amazing influence on his decisions. Having the betrayal of the boxer come from a person who he believes to have his best interests at heart is an interesting change-up from the typical boxing tropes. This is especially unique when Mountain decides for himself to wrestle, in order to save his manager from the mob, another typical boxing trope. This shift sheds some light on why boxers are so easily exploited, often, because of their limited education, young introduction to the sport, intense relationships with their coaches, or other reasons, they cannot see the harm that these important figures in their lives are causing.

Grace Miller's efforts to lift Mountain out of his unemployment, though unfortunately fruitless, end the film on a bittersweet note. The film chastises those who keep people down for their own self-interest, and one gets the idea that Grace would be successful if not for Maish. Grace has hope where others see only a source of money to be extracted until it runs out, without consideration for his dis-figuration, lack of education, or employment, Grace fought to seek employment for Mountain, and although it was undone my Maish, the existence of Grace is enough to be hopeful.