National treasure Perhaps the name of Ned Hanlan is not as popular among fans of great sports as Muhammad Ali, Michael Phelps or Michael Schumacher, but the compatriots of the great Canadian are proud that he performed under their banners and even after more than a hundred years continue to admire his achievements in individual rowing and honor to pass his glorious biography on school textbooks. Born in 1855 in a family of Irish immigrants who settled in Toronto, young Hanlan knew that nothing in life would be given to him for nothing. Having before him the example of not the richest, but stubborn father, who established a successful hotel business of the local spill, Ned from an early age used to earn pocket money on his own, throwing all his attention to fishing, which he was one of the first to deliver to the markets of the city and thus received a generous reward. Every day going on a boat in distant waters, Ned Hanlan thus hardened his body and made his muscles truly steely. And at one point he decided to try his luck in an amateur rowing competition, in which he achieved phenomenal results. Having managed to bypass more famous and revered rivals, Hanlan seriously thought about saying goodbye to fishing and switching to professional sports, which increasingly attracted him to himself. Dressing in a consistently blue suit, which became his trademark distinction, the promising athlete managed to give battle to more than one champion, without problems found sponsors and from now on could only look with irony towards the good old fishing boat, which served him as a truly perfect simulator. The sporting achievements of Ned Hanlan at the time were actually unsurpassed. Several years in a row being at the very top, the champion thereby broke several records and proved to everyone that a person from a poor family is capable of great achievements if he sincerely believes in himself and knows what he wants to achieve. Although it has been an eternity since his last victory, for Canada, Ned Hanlan is always an example worthy of praise. Based on his busy life, many stories were written, a whole biography, and many documentary television programs were filmed. Also, the great athlete was once interested in Nicholas Cage, who starred in the sports drama “Man in Blue”, clearly hinting at who in this story is on the title roles.
So, the plot of the film introduces us to a young Canadian rower Ned Hanlan (Cage), who could well continue the family business and focus exclusively on the affairs of a modest hotel, but he always wanted recognition and knew perfectly well that he could achieve what he wanted. Taking all the best from the craft that had previously provided him with money, Hanlan devoted himself to training and improving the technique of rowing. Having competed against the city's best in a contest promising a good prize, Hanlan left no chance. And those who previously perceived him only as an upstart, were forced to change their minds, as the young athlete had a reserve of power, which his rivals could only dream of. And even unsurpassed champion Thomas Loudon should have understood that it is simply impossible to stay on top forever and the time will come when Ned Hanlan gracefully throws him off the throne. Every day, waking up and invariably going to the gym or to the water to strengthen the muscles, our hero nevertheless does not forget that life is much more diverse than many professional athletes may think. Thus, in parallel with winning all sorts of titles and cups, Hanlan achieves the attention and love of the charming Margaret Gordon Sutherland (Cynthia Dale), who struck the heart of the audience’s favorite. But when you know that at home you are always waiting for a loving person who is ready to accept you both in sorrow and joy, you can accept any life trials, including injuries and failures that happen in the career of any athlete. And even such an unsurpassed rower as Ned Hanlan.
For Nicolas Cage, participation in the film by Charles Jarrot became a very noticeable event in his career, as he had rarely managed to play the title roles in a full-length film. Contented with mostly bright, but still episodes, Cage once learned what the gloss of the leading dramatic part in the remarkable youth melodrama The Valley Girl was, and wanted to repeat the successful experience as quickly as possible, and not necessarily in any Hollywood project. So when he had the opportunity to go to Canada and star in the role of a national idol, he without hesitation went under the guidance of Jarrot, who gave the young actor a responsible image that simply could not be spoiled. Otherwise, Cage’s career might have stalled a bit, but he was not afraid of flashy artistic experiments, as he was never afraid to test himself. After studying the biographical reports about Ned Hanlan, Cage and Jarrot understood that such a lofty reputation of the champion was based not only on selfless training, but also on intrigue, controversial decisions and secrets that allowed him to beat even those who are clearly stronger and capable of winning with a huge advantage. And yet, as you know, champions are not judged, and therefore the creators justified all the decisions made by the hero, carefully circumvented controversial moments and showed the audience an inspiring spectacle demonstrating an unprecedented willpower and desire to always stay on top. But at the same time, Charles Jarroth does not forget to bring a note of bitterness to the enthusiastic narrative in order to remind all of us what victories sometimes cost and, as a person who has achieved everything he only dreamed of, survive unjolly life circumstances that break through the cracked dam of years lived.
As in all known film adaptations of the bright sports biography, “Man in Blue” does not exclude all sorts of assumptions, smoothing out some facts and conjectures that allow filling in the gaps in information about the personal life of the legendary personality, which is usually considered sinless. The film of Charles Jarrot in this regard does not in any way pretend to be a revolutionary thinking, and yet “Man in Blue” has the property of captivating and keeping the audience in constant tension. The beautifully staged scenes of the competition make the audience’s heart beat much more often, and Nicolas Cage, in turn, demonstrates the brilliant alignment that only true champions possess. The actor is extremely focused on his role, he perfectly understands the desire of the true Hanlan and applies his own ambitions to the image. Therefore, if the overall dramatic tone of the picture resembles the fabulousness familiar to the 80s, then Nicolas Cage’s efforts on the contrary are worthy of honest admiration, since he really got used to the role of Ned Hanlan, managed to create a pleasant emotional figure and proved that there is nothing more important than a personal victory. Whether it’s in your career or on the love front.
8 out of 10