The match is so raw, you will flinch at the sight of blood spurting out of the actors. The fight between Belcher and Henry serves as the movie’s climax, and it is by far, one of the bloodiest and most intense boxing matches we’ve seen in cinema.
PRIZE FIGHTER MOVIES MOVIE
Instead, the movie only touches on two very important aspects of Jem’s life: how he went partially blind and the forgotten fight between him and Henry. For every punch the movie throws at audiences, few connect, which is rather dismissive of a biopic that many do not know about. There isn’t a burning passion inside him no sportsmanship, and nothing likeable for viewers to attach themselves to, or even attempt to identify with. There seems to be no motivation behind the man aside from sheer ego. The whole time, we don’t see what makes Jem tick, what his values are and why he behaves the way he does. During his time incarcerated, another champion, Henry Pearce (Glen Fox), takes his place and a slighted Jem eagerly challenges him after his release so that he can reclaim his title. One moment he’s drunk and stumbling around, the next he’s locked up. He begins drinking and gambling, and somehow lands himself in jail – something that the movie didn’t explain how or why he got there. Outside of the two boxing matches we see, we get scenes of Jem turning to the same vices that led to his grandfather’s demise. We only see Belcher fight twice before the big climax fight at the end of the movie – the first at a local fair where he gets spotted by Bill Warr (Ray Winstone) who later becomes his coach, and another when he wins the title of ‘Champion of England’.Īnd for a film that’s meant to make the audience aware of a forgotten historical person, we leave the theatre not knowing much about the man at all. For a film on boxing, there weren’t plenty of exciting boxing scenes. Of course, the young upstart pulls an Uno-reverse and if you think that’s where things get interesting, well, it doesn’t. All it did was emphasise over and over again that the life of a boxer is not one that one should aspire to, and that Belcher’s mother Mary hates him for it and wants her son to be as far away as possible from the world of boxing.
The role feels wasted on Oscar-winning actor Crowe, who despite his credentials as a captivating actor, cannot make viewers care or share the same adoration Jem had for Jack Slack.
His introduction, whilst seemingly important to introduce the young Jem to the world of boxing, did not deserve as much screen time as it did. How this man became an inspiration to Belcher is beyond us because we see nothing inspiring about him at all. The first act introduces young Jem captivated by his grandfather Jack, who’s now old, grey, alcoholic, broke and fighting for a couple of coins, to spend on women and liquor. The movie takes viewers through the ordinary linear flow of life, as we can expect, but doesn’t delve deep enough to make us care about him or the seemingly tumultuous life he’s had. Growing up watching his revered grandfather Jack Slack (Russell Crowe) fight as a prize fighter, the young Belcher (Hookings) follows in his footsteps, despite the cries of his mother (Jodhi May) and at age 22, was left partially blind before he died at the young age of 30.Ī standard underdog story, viewers see Jem emerge as a champion, only to meet his downfall and then ascend back to glory.
This biographical drama, about the birth of boxing as a sport, explores the life of Jem Belcher, who became the youngest ever world champion boxer, and the Champion of England. Maybe it’s the passion that surrounds it, the human spirit, sheer brutality, or even the money, but whatever the inspiration, boxing films have brought amazing performances from Hollywood, birthing classics including the Rocky series, Raging Bull, Southpaw, Ali, Creed, Million Dollar Baby and more – all of which have knocked our socks off with their raw, gritty exploration of the physical activity.īut what makes the sport even more cinematically astounding, is that so many of these films are based on true stories, and Matt Hookings and Daniel Graham’s Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher is yet another contender entering the ring, taking boxing fans back to the turn of the last century, in early 19th century England. Sports movies refer to films revolving around any sport, and while basketball or even football are popular the world over, there is no sport that has had more movies made about the activity than boxing.
0 kommentar(er)
