John Brzenk isn't a household name unless you follow the sport of arm wrestling -- but if you do, Brzenk is to his sport what Michael Jordan is to basketball or Muhammad Ali is to boxing. Born in 1964, Brzenk began competing seriously at age 16, and two years later he won his first world championship. Since then, Brzenk has been the man to beat in any serious international competition, and he has held the world arm wrestling championship for close to a quarter of a century. But at the age of 40, Brzenk finds himself facing the same questions that vex any great athlete.Should he retire while he's still at the top, or wait for time, age and stronger, younger competitors to strip him of his title?
This documentary also profiles two men regarded as likely candidates to take Brzenk's place as arm wrestling's king of the mountain -- Alexey Voevoda, a Russian from a long line of military heroes who wants to bring the championship home to his country, and Travis Bagent, a spirited young American who has followed Brzenk's career since he was a child and sees himself as the heir to his throne.
I thought Pulling John was an interesting documentary. I had no contact at all with arm wrestling; I didn't even know that there are official tournaments and it was nice to get a bit of insight into an overlooked sport that very few people talk about. At the same time, the subject is a bit limited. We are given some information about the beginnings of the sport and how it has evolved, the different techniques and so forth but let's not kid ourselves; in the end it's two guys trying to pull each other's arm. There's not a whole lot to talk about. That's why Pulling John focuses almost completely in this 3 individuals. Travis Bagent, the up-and-coming American who's extremely loud and obnoxious, Alexey Voevoda, the calm and collected Russian and Brzenk, the living legend. The human component is definitely what makes this documentary an interesting watch. Overall, it's quite entertaining and insightful, specially for someone who isn't familiarized with the sport of arm wrestling but it's not a great documentary by any means.
6.5/10
This documentary also profiles two men regarded as likely candidates to take Brzenk's place as arm wrestling's king of the mountain -- Alexey Voevoda, a Russian from a long line of military heroes who wants to bring the championship home to his country, and Travis Bagent, a spirited young American who has followed Brzenk's career since he was a child and sees himself as the heir to his throne.
I thought Pulling John was an interesting documentary. I had no contact at all with arm wrestling; I didn't even know that there are official tournaments and it was nice to get a bit of insight into an overlooked sport that very few people talk about. At the same time, the subject is a bit limited. We are given some information about the beginnings of the sport and how it has evolved, the different techniques and so forth but let's not kid ourselves; in the end it's two guys trying to pull each other's arm. There's not a whole lot to talk about. That's why Pulling John focuses almost completely in this 3 individuals. Travis Bagent, the up-and-coming American who's extremely loud and obnoxious, Alexey Voevoda, the calm and collected Russian and Brzenk, the living legend. The human component is definitely what makes this documentary an interesting watch. Overall, it's quite entertaining and insightful, specially for someone who isn't familiarized with the sport of arm wrestling but it's not a great documentary by any means.
6.5/10