Resurrecting the Champ (Samuel L. Jackson, Josh Hartnett, Kathryn Morris, Alan Alda, Peter Cayote) — It’s a compelling story: Ex-heavyweight contender, homeless, wandering the streets, believing in his past glories and facing the realities of the inner city meets ambitious, but lazy, reporter hoping to find the story that will boost his career. Great idea, two excellent performances, bad execution. Samuel L. Jackson rules as the ex-champ — or is he? — in a bravura performance that, in a better movie, might earn him Oscar buzz. Peter Coyote has a small, but meaty, part as an almost-unrecognizable, grizzled boxing promoter and trainer. The problem is Josh Hartnett, my vote for the new Keanu Reeves (looks good, no talent), who broods his way through self-realization that he truly is lazy about his craft (journalism), haunted by his past (he’s the son of a famous boxing radio broadcaster), and seduced by his subject (Jackson as Bob Satterfield). This is inspired by a real story, and Satterfield was a real person. Director Rod Lurie uses Kathryn Morris (Cold Case), who he used in The Contender), as Hartnett’s wife from whom he is supposedly separated. But there is no tension here, which detracts from the story. Hartnett’s character, Erik, is devoted to his 6-year-old son, in part due to his own abandonment by his father. Somehow, Erik has audio tapes of his father’s 1950s broadcast on cassette (there were no cassettes in the early 50s). Erik longs to cover the Broncos and Nuggets but is relegated to minor boxing stories. He writes fast and uninspired, as his new editor, played by Alan Alda, points out. So Erik broods, lies, befriends a drunken ex-boxer and writes a potential Pulitzer-prize piece only to see his world crumble around him. Or does it? It’s schmaltzy, has an obligatory cute kid, cameos by John Elway and Jake Plummer, and a couple of good performances. But this is no Rocky or Raging Bull; it’s very rocky and a different kind of bull. If I were you, I wouldn’t avoid it but I wouldn’t waste an evening either.