Joe & Max

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Product Description ------------------- The year is 1936. America has fast become one of the world's most powerful nations on the platform of freedom and equality for all people. On the other side of the Atlantic, Hitler's Third Reich is steadily taking hold, systematically setting the stage for Aryan supremacy. Meanwhile, Joe Louis (Leonard Roberts) an up-and-coming prizefighter from Harlem, New York fights for his slice of the American dream: to become boxing's heavyweight champion. Standing in his way is German champ, Max Schmeling (Til Schweiger). Despite Schmeling's liberal and pacifist views, he is heralded by the Nazis as the perfect specimen of the perfect race. The world watched as their bouts took on epic proportions, but outside of public view, they forged a friendship that would transcend enemy lines. Based on a true story, from the director of Hoop Dreams, JOE AND MAX is an action-packed drama with thrilling re-creations of the legendary matches that rocked the world! .com ---- As with his epic documentary Hoop Dreams, Steve James's dramatized biopic transcends sports to tell the inspiring true story of the surprising friendship that developed between boxers Joe Louis (Leonard Roberts) and Max Schmeling (Til Schweiger). When these two nents met in the ring for their epic heavyweight championship bouts in the 1930s, they carried their respective worlds on their shoulders. Louis not only represented the hopes and dreams of the black community, but also "the of America and democracy." Nazi Germany's propaganda machine hyped Schmeling as the embodiment of "the master race," although Schmeling, whose story carries more dramatic punch, disassociated himself from Hitler. "I'm not a Nazi," he procled. "I'm just a fighter." Joe and Max takes some hits with its often ham-handed script, but it's got great performances in its corner that should make it a contender for audiences beyond fight fans. --Donald Liebenson