Review of The Boxer (1997) by Kyle B — 07 Aug 2015

I am a big Daniel-Day Lewis fan and that being said, this is my least favorite of his movies. I know the critical acclaim is very high, I just wasn't overly impressed. Yes his performance was great, I just thought they could of looked at his background more in this movie. He plays a former IRA member, who after doing a 14 year prison stint, is back in familiar grounds as their is religious conflict in Northern Ireland between Catholic and the Protestants. Day-Lewis who was a pro boxer in his day, gets back in the game and opens up an old gym eventually bringing both religions together in the process. This creates the basis for the movie which is conflict among him trying to live a normal life. His former love interest is sparked and they try to reignite their flame without being seen because she is remarried with her husband now behind bars which is a no no in this setting.

I kept trying to figure out if it was a tale of love, perseverance, a changed man, or all of the above. The dots just didn't connect as well as I thought they would. Maybe a second watch would help this. Again any Day-Lewis movie is better than most, but this one just wasn't my favorite. I didn't connect like I thought.