Uppercut

2014, NYC: In his most powerful and poignant role to date, Ving Rhames stars as Elliott – an ex-boxer whose broken dreams find him running a rundown boxing gym as a disillusioned coach. On a late summer night, however, a knock on his door will reawaken his soul. Enter Toni: a young German-born athlete (Luise Grossmann) with an iron will, determined to make her mark in the land of dreams. Fired from her job as a personal trainer, she wants to pursue her true passion – to become a fighter. Elliott initially refuses to train her, but Toni confronts him with her unfiltered energy – and his old passion flares up again for one night. A night in which two people who couldn’t be more different become more and more curious about each other.  They train, talk, fight, dance, argue, and laugh together. In doing so, Toni reaches her limits, and Elliot goes beyond his. In this American remake of his 2021 feature debut, »Leberhaken«, which had its World Premiere in Oldenburg and caught the attention of international producers, including three-time Oscar winner Jim Rygiel, Torsten Ruether lands another knockout punch.