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Review

Cock & Bull Story is an explosive drama about a young, ambitious boxer and the intense relationship he has with his "loser" neighborhood buddy. Major hunk Bret Roberts plays Travis Coleman, who has set his sights on the future as a professional boxer headed toward Las Vegas. "Beverly Hills 90210"s Brian Austin Green plays Jack "Jacko" O'Malley, Travis' confused, directionless and bad-boy "best friend." Set against the gritty industrial backdrop of South Chicago, Cock & Bull Story brims with testosterone, bravado and violence.

The film is a striking study of contrasts between a young man who wants to use boxing as his way out of his dead-end life, and an angry, unemployed young man with little hope for his future. Despite their differences, the two are extremely close, even when escalating violence threatens them both. Though the film is about the sport of boxing, including some action-packed scenes, there's actually much more fighting in the dark alleys with much of it fueled by Jacko's fervent hatred of "faggots." Virtually every scene is laden with homophobic language -- hard to take, but filled with message and meaning. When a boxer taunts Travis in the bathroom and in the ring, Travis' sexual ambiguity is exposed and the two friends face questions neither are willing to answer.

Written and directed by Billy Hayes (the real-life person who actor Brad Davis immortalized in Midnight Express), the film is an adaptation of the British stage play "Cock & Bull Story," by co-playwrights Richard Crowe and Richard Zajdlic. This is one powerful film, prepare yourself.

Thom Cardwell