‘La Guerra Civil’ Review: Eva Longoria Bastón Directs an Energetic Chronicling of a Momentous Boxing Match
21.01.2022 - 06:57
/ variety.com
Tomris Laffly “Boxing is opera to Latins,” we hear in the early moments of “La Guerra Civil,” a comprehensive visual history of one of the most momentous fights in contemporary boxing, directed with verve by powerhouse actor-filmmaker Eva Longoria Bastón. But for the bout in question that took place between Oscar De La Hoya and Julio César Chávez a quarter-century ago, Mexican communities both at home and in the U.S.
had a lot more to behold and reflect on than the revered sport’s inherent drama and spectacle.In 1996, the year of the legendary match, East L.A.’s De La Hoya was known as “the golden boy.” A darling Olympian with movie-star looks, he was so popular with the ladies that several moments in Longoria Bastón’s entertaining doc feature fans screaming or trying to steal a kiss like they’ve just spotted The Beatles. Older, tougher-looking and Mexican-born, Chávez invited a different kind of fanbase as an athlete from across the border.
“Chávez bleeds for us, De La Hoya bleeds for money” was a common shorthand for how the duo were perceived in the public eye. To many, Chávez was the authentic salt-of-the-earth Mexican with his hard-knock background, whereas De La Hoya’s Mexican-American identity was a liability of sorts.
The stakes were high for the fighters and fans alike, as if one’s alignment with either player would define one’s core identity as a Mexican. This is the premise at the center of “La Guerra Civil,” and it’s perhaps repeated a little too often via the myriad colorful talking heads in this slightly overlong film — from sports journalist Claudia Trejos and actor George Lopez to historians, trainers, entrepreneurs and beyond.
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