Hands of Stone

Boxing centered movies, whether based on an actual boxer or a boxer created by a Hollywood writer is often fraught with grit and intensity which makes them excitable and mesmerizing. Whether it be "Rocky", "Raging Bull", more recently "Southpaw" and "Creed", one can surely respect what punishment these guys went through regardless your views about the sport. With this concept, it makes it that much more appealing when "Hands of Stone" hit the multiplex.

This biopic about boxing legend Roberto Duran (Edgar Ramirez) follows his rise from a two-fisted street urchin in Panama back in 1971 to a gifted amateur known for Round 1 knockouts all under the coach Carlos Eleta (Ruben Blades). Along the way he gains fame, riches and a love for Felicidad (Ana de Armas), but a chance meeting with boxing coach legend Ray Arcel (Robert De Niro) takes his fighting to a level where he can defeat American champion Sugar Ray Leonard (Usher Raymond IV) in January, 1980. The lessons Arcel teaches his protégé about psychological cleverness in and out of the ring carries Duran through the darkest part of his career, when the notorious 'no mas' rematch against Leonard threatens to derail his entire legacy.

Others to round out the cast are David Arosemena as Duran (as a kid), Ellen Barkin as Stephanie Arcel, Ray's wife, John Turturro as Frankie Carbo, Drena De Niro as Adele, Ray's estranged daughter, Romulo Moran as Chaflan, Yancey Arias as Benny Huertas, Pedro 'Budu' Perez as Plomo, Ilza Rosario as Clara Samaniego and Roberto 'Chavo' Duran as Toti.

This was interestingly written and directed by Jonathan Jakubowicz ("Ships of Hope" 2000, "Secuestro express" '05) plus TV. Although his theatrical film experienced is limited, he was able to convey a sense of believability with the characters he developed. Even though these characters are based on real people, an effective filmmaker still has to realistically convey this to an audience that either has never heard of this person or are not sure who he is. This he conveyed without a hitch. The only problem I might have had a with this film was the feel of some choppiness going on and with that a bit of lack of cohesiveness developing. However, even with these small flaws, do not underestimate this filmmaker--he has raw talent like I've never seen, and if this is only his third film to his credit, I personally can't wait to see what he's going to produce next, and there will be a next time. Of course, when a filmmaker has actors like De Niro and Ramirez to work with, how much wrong could a filmmaker do? Ramirez was mesmerizing!

Whether one is into boxing centered films or not, there's something for everyone in this story of this boxer who came from nothing to get to the place he reached because of the supportive people he had around him. At the end of the day, one truly knows who's there for you and who is not.

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                     Rated: R                                      113mins.