Carman: The Champion (2001)

Director:

Lee Stanley

Writers:

Carman (story)
Lee Stanley (written by) ...

Release Date:

2 March 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama

Tagline:

Sometimes a dream is the only thing worth fighting for...

Plot:

Orlando Leone (Carmen) must enter the boxing ring once again. Even though the doctor has advised him against it, he picks up his gloves for one last fight, for his father, for his church, for his love, and for his life. |

Plot Keywords:

Boxing | Christian Film | Christian | Boxer | Character Name In Title

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Carman	...	Orlando Leone
Michael Nouri	...	Freddie
Patricia Manterola	...	Allia
Jeremy Williams	...	Keshon Banks
Jed Allan	...	Laracco
Romeo Rene Fabian	...	Cesar (as Romeo Fabian)
Betty Carvalho	...	Geneva
Jay Arlen Jones	...	Johnny
Bill Boggs	...	Himself
Steve Albert	...	Himself
Hector Elias	...	Bernard
Kevin Rankin	...	Scrappy
Simon Brooke	...	Victor Anderson
Scott L. Schwartz	...	Big Mike
Eric Mosely	...	Buddha

Also Known As:

Heart of a Champion (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for street and ring violence, and for drug content.

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Code Productions

A former professional boxer risks his life for a Godly cause.

Former boxing champion Orlando Leone Jr. (Carman) wants to honor his late father by establishing an inner-city ministry for young people, but the building he has invested his life's earnings in will be lost if he can't come up with the final payment to secure the property. While moonlighting as a security guard in a posh L.A. hotel, Leone encounters current world cruiserweight champion Keshon Banks (Jeremy Williams), and when he goes to Banks' room to quell a disturbance, a fight breaks out in which Leone knocks out Banks with a single punch (caught on video by a local news crew). Banks' embarrassed promotors are forced to cancel his upcoming world title fight because of falling odds, and seeking to recoup their money, they rope Leone into fighting Banks for the title in a bout billed as "The Saint vs. The Sinner." Leone doesn't want the fight, but he is blackmailed by his brother Freddie (Michael Nouri), who has purchased the deed to Leone's property and threatens to sell it if Leone doesn't take the fight. The film is a little rough around the edges, and an alternate storyline about a youngster who is being harassed by some local gangsters is predictable and cliched. But all in all, it's a pretty good acting debut by Carman (who came up with the story and helped write the script). And the film refreshingly features an ending difficult to predict, given the events preceding the climactic moments. A scene in which Leone jogs through a vegetable market and catches an apple as he's running is a nice little tribute to Rocky Balboa, and Carman's obvious boxing skill gives his character a credibility that's lacking in many sports films featuring wannabe-athlete actors. Ultimately, it's a story about faith, hope, love and integrity.