After the Oscar-laden success of A Beautiful Mind, Russell Crowe and director Ron Howard reunited for "rousing sports drama" Cinderella Man. With its Depression-era setting and message of triumph against the odds, it was shaping up to be yet another gong-getter. Critics were full or praise (for Crowe's performance in particular), but moviegoers were less enthused. It only reached No 4 in the US chart and fell around $30m short of recouping its $88m budget.

Punch Drunk

Like boxer Jim Braddock, this DVD is lean and mean when it comes to extras. However, the nine-minute featurette Ringside Seats is a novel and engaging look at what Howard calls "the dramatics of boxing". The director is joined by screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, producer Brian Grazer and veteran writer Norman Mailer to watch vintage footage of Braddock Vs Bauer.

Mailer is in fact a boxing aficionado and offered technical advice during the making of the film. Here, they talk through the less obvious dynamics between Braddock and Bauer as the men attempt to intimidate each other, eg when Bauer delivers a hard blow, Howard notes that Braddock does a "wobbly knee, clowning thing to show that he isn't hurt". Of course, he could just be really dizzy, but the guys seem to know what they're talking about...

Down And Out

Howard offers commentary for nine deleted scenes, which are fairly substantial. Especially poignant is a bit of improvised dialogue between Crowe and onscreen wife Renee Zellweger as she tends to his broken arm. The Kiwi bruiser even sheds a tear in front of coach (Paul Giamatti) although Howard felt that this was "too much emotion" too early. Meanwhile a scene that finds the family lining up for soup serves as an iconic image of the Great Depression.

Disappointingly, Howard doesn't give commentary for the film itself and there are no interviews with the cast. Overall there's next to nothing on the actual making of the film, which leaves this DVD feeling curiously lightweight.

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