A friend, Adriane, first made me aware of director Noah Buschel by recommending his sports melodrama, The Phenom. Catching up with Buschel’s earlier films, I’ve been really taken by his application of neo-noir conventions and tropes within a low budget indie vision. From mannered dialogue to clearly intentionally framing and lighting, to the use of stage sets and location shooting, cliches are reacquainted with a contemporary New York that sings with an idiosyncratic cadence. With The Missing Person, Michael Shannon was given a leading role playing within the private detective archetype. Here, in Glass Chin (2014), it’s Corey Stoll as a boxer angling at another chance, even as the fix is in.
Nicknamed “The Saint” and introduced jogging with his dog in the dead of night, Stoll’s eyes looks across the river at the lights of Manhattan. Still recognised around his New Jersey neighbourhood, even though his shot at fame was dashed with the titular condition, Stoll’s character finds himself on two paths. One is passing on his knowledge to an up and comer named Kid Sunshine, and acquiescing the spotlight. The other path is getting back into the limelight through helping out a big shot bookie J.J. (Billy Crudup, ever so swarmy). Just helping out for some extra money, going on rounds with a pushy weirdo played delightfully by Yul Vazquez, collecting money from people. Any keen study of 1950s boxing melodramas will know that these two paths will converge in a way that tests Stoll’s sense of himself and his conflicting desires.
As always, it’s less about what happens and about the way it’s told. Even with the pulpy dialogue, there’s a sense of humour and humanity. The time given to Stoll’s dysfunctional relationship with his girlfriend Marin Ireland, and her passing interest in Buddhism gives shading to the themes. Quiet streets at night. Reflected light of the Manhattan streets as Stoll looks out the passenger window while Suicide’s ‘Cherie’ plays. How Yazquez gets hooked on seeing himself on a security TV camera feed, and how that sets up the framing of a scene. Crudup’s dilettante interest in art as symptomatic of his reach. Even the evidence of the film’s low budget, setting a climax in Madison Square Garden but always being outside of it, I found endearing. Much like an over the hill boxer, there’s a scrappiness to Glass Chin, which sings through its singular flourishes. Available to rent or buy on Apple. Recommended.
VHS Tracking 