Hands of Stone

"You never got [Duran] down, Ray."

Anlatmak istediği hiçbir şeyi tam olarak anlatamayan, hatta çok şey anlatmak isterken hiçbir şey anlatmayan bir film olmuş. Duran'i tanımak dışında hiçbir şey vadetmiyor. Duran hala hayatta olduğuna göre ve bu film muhtemelen onun izni doğrultusunda çekildiğine göre, objektif bir film olduğunu söyleyebilirim sadece, çünkü ana karakterden nefret ediyorsunuz. De Niro da kimi müşfik, kimi hayal kırıklığına uğramış bakışlar atarak filmi tamamlıyor.

Frustrating drama is perhaps a little too ambitious in wanting to cover its vast array of conflicts and subjects; as it never establishes a strong spine on which to hang its sometimes weighty subject matter (especially the political aspects), what we get is a series of scenes and performances which work well in isolation but never congeal into a satisfactory whole. Raymond's Sugar Ray is inarguably the stand-out of the cast, while De Niro never quite convinces as the ageing trainer.

1434: good job!

It's a fairly standard boxing movie with good performances that elevate it a bit. Unfortunately the pacing is all over the place, and the most interesting things rarely get the focus they deserve. Characters come to huge realizations immediately after we are shown only small bits of a struggle. Also a few scenes that were basically softcore porn that didn't fit at all.

Whatever interesting plot elements Duran's true story contributes are completely covered in a thick gravy of tacky movie cliches and attention-deficit pacing, which is a shame because there hasn't been a really good feature boxing movie in decades.

I enjoy the formula of boxing movies, and so boxing movies tend to get a bit of advantage in my eyes. There's just something about them. This isn't one of the best by any means, but the performances are strong and the plot is interesting. Some of it gets glossed over a little bit too much, but it gave me mostly what I wanted.

The performances are fine, but there isn't much here to stand out among other rags-to-riches boxing films. And what good IS here (Duran's arc, his relationship with his country and others in his life) is passed by too quickly thanks to the film's pace.

And Hands of Stone suggests something more. That this violence somehow solves ... something. It fills some kind of a void in those who participate in boxing. For Roberto, this in-ring violence isn't just a job. It isn't just a passion. It's an answer. An answer that somehow salves Roberto's anger, serves as solace to a fractious political climate and somehow makes him a better man. (pluggedin.com)

Video Review: https://youtu.be/QsGhBfnpyjc