Cobb

Year: 1994

Grade: B+

Country: USA

Director: Shelton

Review

this is more a biopic than it is a sports film. it’s tough to judge the film without judging the man, and jones’ performance. first jones’ performance – it’s great, he really inhabits the character and transcends acting. it’s not the most amazing performance i’ve ever seen, but it’s good enough that the performance is transparent and that’s what every actor should strive for in this type of role. onto the man – cobb was a fucking bastard, but he was the kind of bastard who is perfect for film. in real life he’s the kind of guy no one (or damn near no one) would want to associate with, but this very quality makes him perfect for examination on film. film has the ability to make the most despicable characters somehow sympathetic or funny or interesting. perhaps it’s because we are able to observe without having to interact – we can be alongside a character as he throws a violent fit, without the unpleasantness of having things thrown at us. onto the film…it’s put together rather well and i think most of that is owed to the screenplay. it balances flashbacks and contemporary time (it takes place during 1960-61) in a way that allows us to slowly discover what made cobb what he is. the score is good and helps add to the grandeur of cobb’s character. he’s not all that good of a person, but one can’t help but respect his ferocity to some extent. he attacks life and baseball with equal vigor and i think that most people can respect that, in spite of his hatred of most people and his gruff and crass personality.