It’s well known that Argentine heavyweight professional boxer Oscar Natalio “Ringo” Bonavena — who had a career record of 58 wins, 9 losses and 1 draw — met international success both in Argentina and the US, to the point of fighting Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali — and while he didn’t defeat them, he certainly put up a fierce fight.
It’s also known that he was killed at the age of 33 at the gates of the Mustang Ranch brothel, in Reno, Nevada, on May 22, 1976, by a security guard named Brymer under mysterious circumstances. An inquiry following the murder said that Bonavena was very likely having an affair with Sally Burgess, the wife of Joe Conforte, the owner of the brothel, and was also planning to take over the Mustang Ranch. It is said that guards had orders from Conforte to shoot Bonavena if he appeared at the ranch.
These facts, and many others — such as how Joe Conforte brought Bonavena to Reno in 1975 to train and promote a series of fights — are revealed in José Luis Nacci’s documentary Soy Ringo, through interviews with Bonavena’s relatives, friends, acquaintances and local figures of the boxing arena. Interspersed with photographs, some live footage of places where Bonavena visited, and drawings evoking scenes in his life, Nacci’s documentary may be worthy for some of the information it provides, but not because of how it provides it.
As is the case with so many recent local documentaries, Soy Ringo lacks the necessary cinematic virtues to be more than just an exposé of this and that. As regards cinematography, sound, mise-en-scene, and art direction, let’s say that they are executed by the book, with no sense of style or personality. Editing is particularly flawed as the film drags quite a lot and struggles to gain momentum. In fact, it’s actually 20 minutes overlong, give or take.
In terms of screenplay, anecdotes abound and yet there’s not a clear thematic and dramatic focus on any pivotal points; some of the interviewees offer true insights into Bonavena, the man and the boxer, while many others just fall into commonplace. Above all, there’s not a solid and significant thesis raised on any of the many aspects addressed. In other words: what does Soy Ringo want to unveil as new ideas, and not as anecdotes?
Production notes
Soy Ringo (Argentina, 2014). Written and directed by José Luis Nacci. With Adriana Nancy Bonavena, Vicente Bonavena, Natalio Oscar Bonavena,
Héctor “Bambino” Veira. Cinematography: Osvaldo Ponce. Editing: Julio di Risio. Running time: 105 minutes.
