CHAMPION (1949) / YOUNG MAN WITH A HORN (1950) Impossible to dun Kirk

In both CHAMPION and YOUNG MAN WITH A HORN, Kirk Douglas portrays a noirbody driven to reach the top - in the first, as a boxer; in the second, a trumpeter (based on jazz great Bix Beiderbecke). In both films, Douglas uses and misuses, then dumps, friends, supporters and loved ones in order to achieve his goal; in both, his character is a mix of good and bad; and in both, the young Kirk pours everything he has into these roles, and rips open the screen doing it. These are fine films about flawed men, exuberantly played by an actor who poured real-life passion, energy and ambition into every role.