Ring of Fire

It's been as good a year for boxing outside the ring as inside it, with Ken Burns' Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson offering a broad-minded revisionist take on one of the sport's unheralded champions. Filmmakers Ron Berger and Dan Klores attempt the same trick with The Emile Griffith Story, a film examining Griffith's legacy following his three bouts against Benny "Kid" Paret. While boxing trifectas aren't exactly a rarity—think Ward/Gatti, Duran/Leonard, Holyfield/(your name here)—this one stands out because it ended with Griffith pummeling Paret to death in the ring. Griffith was apparently enraged by Paret's taunt of maricon (Spanish slang for "homosexual") during the pre-fight weigh-in, which was accompanied by a quick goose on the tush. But while Ring of Fire deftly illustrates the effect that Paret's death had on the lives of all involved—Griffith, Paret's wife and son, the referee—it suffers by only peripherally addressing Griffith's alleged homosexuality, and particularly boxing's rejection of those so inclined. Even the first-ever meeting between Griffith and Paret's son somehow lacks the emotional punch one might expect. As a result, Ring of Fire lands only a glancing blow.