【电影简介】

在不远的未来，拳击运动已经被高科技的机器人互博取代了。人类无法亲自上场比赛，取而代之的是他们操纵机器人在赛场上厮杀。

查理·肯顿（休·杰克曼饰）在一场2000磅、6英尺高的机器人拳击赛中丢掉了头衔。因为输了比赛，所以查理活的穷困潦倒。不过在此之前，查理可是世界上大名鼎鼎的、排名世界第二的拳击运动员。查理有一个十一岁的孩子，叫做马克斯，查理以前忙于拳击从来没有好好照顾过他。丢掉了头衔，失去了名誉，还一无所有的查理反而有了更多的时间和自己的儿子相处。不服输的儿子鼓动查理去废弃机器人的仓库找零件回来自己做机器人参加比赛。零件没有找到多少，但是他们去意外地发现了一个陪练机器人。

这个陪练机器人被马克斯起名叫做亚当，亚当没有实战经验，只有挨打的份。一开始查理带他去打各种小型赛事筹集金钱，而亚当则被打得“满地找铁”。时间一长，马克斯发现这样不行，他让查理教亚当自己的拳击技巧。亚当倒也是个聪明的机器人，能够惟妙惟肖地模仿出查理的所有动作。后来亚当成了常胜将军，变成了世界知名的机器人拳击手。但是亚当要证明自己还有几场恶战在等着它。而查理也需要亚当的胜利来证明自己的价值和存在的意义。在这些比赛的过程中，查理收获的不仅仅是胜利和名誉，更重要的是查理已经和自己疏于联系的儿子马克斯建立起了坚不可摧的情感。

【音频文本】

Shawn Levy's 'Real Steel' is a quasi-cyberpunk movie. I was searching for a time-killer when I found this film, but in the end, I found that it wasn't quite as bad as I had anticipated.

Charlie Kenton, played by Hugh Jackman, used to be a promising prize fighter. As boxing fans demanded moreviolence, bloodshed and extreme fighting, his ascending career was cut short when robots replaced human boxers. With a rusty robot, Charlie travels to matches and exhibitions around the country, but barely makes a living. To make things worse, he is informed that his ex-girlfriend has just died, and he has to waive custody of his son Max to the child's wealthy aunt. In desperate need for money, he blackmails the uncle and practically sells his right to custody. In turn, he promises to take care of Max for the summer. The father and son go on the tour with a new found sparring robot named Atom which exhibits great potential in learning. Incredibly, the story ends with Atom challenging World Robot Boxing champion Zeus.

Initially I thought 'Real Steel' was the kind of film that was just selling the idea of robot boxing: a lot of action, but no story, no acting, nothing to stir your grey matter, like one of those Arnold Schwarzenegger films. Well, actually, 'Real Steel' is short on the action, because the bulk of the film is devoted to following the father and son.

The first thing to note is how smoothly it flows, regardless of the content. Lately, I've been bothered a lot by recent Chinese movies, whose directors may have ideas to get across, but their movies stagger. In 'Real Steel', the action, conversation, sensation and fun parts are aptly paced so that viewers never grow tired. It is a skill that Chinese directors really need to catch up on.

And next let's get to the content. I call it a quasi-cyberpunk movie because you get to see underground robot boxing matches and a robot fighting a bull and actors dressed up in cowboy outfits. But for the most part it remains a father and son movie. The father, a talented boxer whose career path was destroyed by robots, loses all his bearings in life and becomes a total jerk. Only with his son's help is he able to get back on his feet again.

So look now around you, if anyone close to you is being a jerk, they might need your help.

The relationship part of this father and son movie seems unpolished. Perhaps a little subtlety would help.And maybe that's something a western director would have to learn from their Chinese counterparts.

Last but not the least, the movie also highlighted a dogged fighting spirit. It is the spirit that helped Atom survive the crushing fist of Zeus, and it is the spirit that you'll need to go back to work, however comfortable you are now sitting with your folks at home.

So in the coming year, may you help those around you and be a piece of 'real steel' in all your pursuits.

Before I forget, let's say 'Real Steel' deserves a five out of ten.

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