| Los golpes bajos | |
| Director: | Mario Sábato |
| Music: | Eduardo Falú |
| Cinematography: | Julio Duplaquet |
| Editing: | Antonio Ripoll |
| Runtime: | 95 minutes |
| Country: | Argentina |
| Language: | Spanish |
Los golpes bajos (The Low Blows) is a 1974 Argentine film directed by Mario Sábato.[1] It is a film about boxing, inspired by José María Gatica.[2] Shot in Eastmancolor, Sabato wrote the script in collaboration with Mario Mactas. The film stars Aldo Barbero, Héctor Alterio, Walter Vidarte and Ana María Picchio.[3]
The film premiered on 4 February 1974 in Buenos Aires. It is also known under the title De cara al asfalto.[4]
Set in the early Peron era, this rise and fall of a boxer is visibly inspired by the biography of José María Gatica and his experiences.
Rómulo Berruti in Clarín stated that it was a film intended to be a review of the Peronist regime, using the drama of a boxer as a "pivot". El Mundo opined that it is a " film that loses by points… It feeds but it doesn't hit. It avoids but does not delve… more nostalgic than critical… immature, but with good intentions". Manrupe and Portela wrote: "Good reconstruction at times and some drama achieved".[4] Luis Trelles Plazaola in his book South American Cinema/ Cine De America Del Sur: Dictionary of Film Makers describes Los golpes bajos as a "film of greater weight and thematic ambition".[5]