Trite is hardly the word for the plot, which was already wheezy by the time this minor classic was made in 1947, but Abraham Polonsky's script brings such tight, painful focus to the moral choices that it seems fresh and real.

Garfield's bullish performance saves the movie from its stagy moments and episodic script.

Altogether this Enterprise picture rolls up a round-by-round triumph on points until it comes through with a climactic knockout that hits the all-time high in throat-catching fight films.

More than just a boxing picture, Body and Soul also sports elements of film noir and functions as a socially conscious morality tale.