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Crying Fist () is a 2005 South Korean sports drama film written and directed by Ryoo Seung-wan. It stars Choi Min-sik and Ryoo Seung-bum as two desperate men, a washed-up former boxing champion and a troubled youth respectively, who face off in a high-stakes tournament that could change their lives. The film screened in the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.
Tae-sik's situation worsens when he is tricked by an old acquaintance, Won-tae, who promises to help but instead steals his money and disappears. Humiliated and physically broken, Tae-sik is diagnosed with early onset dementia caused by repeated head trauma. With nothing left to lose, he begs Won-tae to help him enter the boxing tournament. Surprisingly, Won-tae agrees, forging a registration form through Tae-sik's former boxing contacts and even offering to act as his coach. Motivated by a desperate need to reconnect with his son, Tae-sik begins training.
Meanwhile, Yoo Sang-hwan is a 19-year-old delinquent who lives by fighting and petty theft. After committing a robbery that leads to the accidental death of an elderly man, he is sentenced to five years in juvenile detention. There, a prison official notices his raw fighting talent and encourages him to join the boxing team. Though he initially struggles and resists authority, Sang-hwan finds purpose in boxing and begins to channel his anger and grief, especially after his father dies in a construction accident and his grandmother collapses from the shock.
Determined to win and honor his family, Sang-hwan throws himself into training and eventually defeats his prison rival Kwon-rok. Granted temporary leave, he enters the Rookie of the Year tournament alongside Tae-sik. As both fighters climb the ranks, Tae-sik relying on experience and Sang-hwan winning by knockout after knockout, they move closer to a fateful final match. Along the way, Tae-sik reconnects with his son, while Sang-hwan visits the graves of his father and grandmother, vowing to win for them.
Tae-sik and Sang-hwan battle fiercely for six rounds, their contrasting styles and motivations pushing them to the limit. Sang-hwan narrowly wins by decision. Afterward, he embraces his grandmother, overwhelmed by emotion, while Tae-sik holds his son close in the ring.
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