Jobless, besieged by creditors, and abandoned by his wife, the once silver medalist Tae-shik has sunken to street hustling, becoming a human punching bag. Meanwhile, young Sang-hwan's delinquent ways land him behind bars. Both men look to boxing to turn around lives gone astray, aiming for the amateur title, ultimately pitting them against each other, but more importantly, against themselves.

Awards
FIPRESCI Award - Cannes International Film Festival 2005
Best Actor (CHOI Min-sik) / Silver Fantasia for Best Asian Film - Fantasia International Film Festival 2005
Best Supporting Actress (NA Mun-Hee) / Best Editing (NAM Na-Yeong) - Grand Bell Awards 2005
Best Director (RYOO Seung-wan) - Pusan Film Critics Association Awards 2005

Festivals
Cannes International Film Festival 2005 – Quinzaine des réalisateurs
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2005
New York Asian Film Festival 2005
Fantasia International Film Festival 2005
Melbourne International Film Festival 2005
Vancouver International Film Festival 2005
San Diego Asian Film Festival 2005
Hong Kong Asian Film Festival 2005
Oslo International Film Festival 2005

Reviews
“...it will impress with its stylised direction, bloody violence and moments of quiet, social reflection. ...fights are second only to Raging Bull, sometimes even surpassing it with their unchoreographed and realistic style.”
Iain Macleod, Eye For Film

“The grimy, over-exposed camerawork enhances the striking photography...”
Jamie Woolley, BBC

“...the emotional battle is titanic.”
Total Film

“...the best film Korea’s Ryoo Seung-Wan has to his name.”
Todd Brown, Twitchfilm

“Kudos to the filmmakers for creating a movie that touches both the heart and the depths that certain people can sink into their lives.”
Berge Garabedian, JoBlo