Review of The Irish in Us

. . . ROCKY's "Italian Stallion" have found THE IRISH IN US to be more realistic, more inspiring, and more entertaining than the later color film. "Danny O'Hara" is NOT a loser like ROCKY, even though he is more of a "long shot" underdog. A fight manager pressed into service as a last-minute substitute when his out-matched protégé suffers a freak accident immediately prior to a World Middle Weight Title Bout, Danny is knocked down seconds into his ring comeback when the Delaney Mob break their promise to treat the impromptu pairing as more of an exhibition match than a brutal, dog-eat-dog ring beat-down,. In their subsequent War of Attrition, Danny gets knocked down numerous times. Meanwhile, Danny's mom, girlfriend, and the brother whose gal he stole ALL are sitting ring-side, while his OTHER brother keeps losing Danny's teeth as his "corner man." (Note that there's more of a plot in that sentence than there is in the first 14 ROCKY flicks!) In Real Life, most World Champs trace their Roots to the Emerald Isle, which helps make THE IRISH IN US feel much more plausible than a champion emerging from a boot-shaped country!!