From biopics on Sonny Liston and Don King to the prison boxing drama Undisputed, Ving Rhames has quite the relationship with boxing. So it wasn’t a surprise when the superstar actor, known for his roles in Pulp Fiction and the Mission Impossible series, decided to don the figurative gloves once again for the recently released film, Uppercut.

Well, that’s not entirely accurate, as Rhames plays Elliott, a former boxer and current gym owner, in Uppercut. But suffice to say, it’s a boxing film, though not the stereotypical one, making it a perfect role for a man who has embraced the sweet science in his professional life.

“I think there's something about sports in general that supersedes nationality, race, et cetera,” Rhames told The Ring. “You're either good at it or you're not. You either win or you lose. So I like the honesty of it.”

A remake of the 2021 German film Leberhaken, Uppercut features Rhames and the star of Leberhaken, Luise Grossmann, as two people who meet in a boxing gym and get that honesty from each other that only the ring can provide.

“I think that this story is universal,” Grossman told The Ring. “This is not the classic boxing movie you would expect with a big fight and stuff, but it's more about these two people and they're coming together from such different worlds. I'm this German girl and he's this wise guy. And I think this is so interesting that these two characters come together and that they're listening to each other and that they think out of their comfort zone. And I think especially in these times, it's such an important story for everyone.”

It is, because in the instant gratification world we live in, Uppercut is a slow burn. It’s dialogue-heavy, so you’ll need to listen and pay attention. Like Grossman pointed out, there’s no blockbuster fight at the end, and she doesn’t even get into the ring for a fight. The main fight action features a boxer she manages, providing the context for the switches throughout the film from her past with Elliott, to her present as a manager and mother. It’s a thinking film, and you have to wonder if viewers will get it if they’re only used to Marvel superhero flicks.

“I don't know, but I am not sure if I should care about this because we made the story,” said Grossman. “And if people are not doing their phone at the same time and they really decide to listen and to really dive into a story, then this can really change something. But if they decide not to, then okay. They most likely won't like it because when they expect what you just said, big explosions and stuff, then this is okay. But then the movie is not for them. But I think the ones who decide to really give this movie a chance, they will take away something from it.”

It helps that the performances from Grossman and Rhames are top-notch, with Rhames, in particular, playing a role that only he could. At 65, he doesn’t just have acting experience, but life experience, and that makes the difference in a role that could have delved into cliché in the wrong hands.

“There was a lot of life experience in this,” Rhames said. “I know quite a few retired boxers. I know them personally, and I used some of their experiences. And also. I think the director (Torsten Ruether) was very helpful in guiding my character. He didn't really tell me what to do, but he was able to guide me. He did have some living life experience. One of the things I really love about the film is that it’s two people who are still living life and what happens, happens.”

That made the call to take the role a no-brainer for Rhames, who will be back in one of those blockbuster Hollywood films later this year to reprise his role of Luther Stickell in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. Uppercut is a little less visible than the Tom Cruise series, but Rhames took it just as seriously.

“The script was personal, and even though the background is boxing, it's not about boxing,” he said. “It's really about two people from two different worlds who take the time to get to know each other. So that's what really intrigued me about the script and the director was excellent.”

Rhames and Grossman were as well, and hopefully the film gets the viewership it deserves. But before letting Rhames go, I had to ask, what was the better role for him, Don King or Sonny Liston?

“Liston, because I did a lot of research on him, and now I live in Vegas,” he said. “Sonny Liston, a lot of his life happened in Vegas; even where he was murdered and even where he's buried, it's in Las Vegas.”

So, Rhames doesn’t believe that Liston died of natural causes in 1970?

“Well, that's my belief,” he said. “Even working with the mob and you're taking drugs, I think something shady was going on.”

True, and not surprising in a business that has long operated in a dark place. And with Rhames getting a taste of that world through his day job as an actor, it was a surprise that his son, Freedom Rhames, is now in boxing, as a participant.

“He started boxing this year, actually,” said Rhames. “He’s 1-1 and had his second fight a couple of weeks ago.”

How does dad feel about that?

“As long as it was something that wasn't illegal, and something that he could learn something from about life, I was for him doing it,” said Rhames.

But is he the loudest one in the room when his son is in the ring, or is he hiding his eyes until the final bell?

“Well, he played basketball for Howard University for two years, but in boxing, I'm the one who hides my eyes,” he said.