Review of The Boxer (1997) by Chris M — 11 May 2013

Not the best work by any of its main stars or director, but definitely worth a watch. Day-Lewis is unsurprisingly intense and utterly believeable in the central role; his boxing skills look fantastic, and he's compelling as a man of few words (in contrast to his verbose later roles as Bill The Butcher, Daniel Plainview or Abraham Lincoln). Emily Watson is great too, and the scenes between these two are the clear highlights of the film.

Jim Sheridan's direction is solid rather than showy, and he doesn't shy away from the nasty truths behind The Troubles. Most enlightening for me was the opening sequence of a wedding reception attended by virtually all women, as all the men (including the groom) are IRA Prisoners.

While it's not especially long, it felt like it could lose 10-15 minutes. Given the talent involved it seemed a bit unremarkable to me - certainly not as powerful as Sheridan's "In the Name of The Father". But there are some strong moments - the scenes between the two leads, and the second fight in Belfast and its aftermath - that are terrific.