So I recently watched Hands of Stone and I'm here to bring you my review. So without further ado...
At age 72, legendary trainer Ray Arcel (played by Robert De Niro) comes out of retirement to coach world-class Panamanian boxer Roberto Durán (played by Édgar Ramírez). Arcel becomes a mentor to the ferocious fighter, convincing him that winning ultimately comes down to strategy. After scoring knockout after knockout, Duran prepares for a bout against Sugar Ray Leonard (played by Usher Raymond IV), the undefeated lightweight champion. Five months later, on Nov. 25, 1980, the two titans meet for an infamous rematch that makes boxing history.
This might be the worst boxing films ever made. Most are bio-pics and some of them are actually pretty hard to tell for various reasons, but this films really just tried too hard to make things work. The biggest thing is that Usher takes you out of the film. Even if you didn't know Usher was in the film going in, there are times where you keep asking yourself if it is him and that takes your focus off of the film. Besides that Usher does a really great job of portraying Sugar Ray Leonard. Edgar Ramirez is absolutely wonderful and he does a great job of making an unlikable characters into a likable one by the end of the film. Robert DeNiro is a great addition to the cast, but honestly it looks as if he just doesn't care that he's in the film. The films story is very interesting and it's one people should see for the varying messages it tells, but it's really predictable and nothing really stands out from a story perspective. Also when you get into the back story of Roberto Duran, you see a lot of the struggles he went through, but often times it comes off as melodramatic. Overall this is just a plain and bland boxing film that doesn't add anything to the genre. I give Hands of Stone 3 out of 10.
So ladies and gentlemen what did you think of Hands of Stone, what would you rate it and what did you think of my review? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.
Jonah Sparks
At age 72, legendary trainer Ray Arcel (played by Robert De Niro) comes out of retirement to coach world-class Panamanian boxer Roberto Durán (played by Édgar Ramírez). Arcel becomes a mentor to the ferocious fighter, convincing him that winning ultimately comes down to strategy. After scoring knockout after knockout, Duran prepares for a bout against Sugar Ray Leonard (played by Usher Raymond IV), the undefeated lightweight champion. Five months later, on Nov. 25, 1980, the two titans meet for an infamous rematch that makes boxing history.
This might be the worst boxing films ever made. Most are bio-pics and some of them are actually pretty hard to tell for various reasons, but this films really just tried too hard to make things work. The biggest thing is that Usher takes you out of the film. Even if you didn't know Usher was in the film going in, there are times where you keep asking yourself if it is him and that takes your focus off of the film. Besides that Usher does a really great job of portraying Sugar Ray Leonard. Edgar Ramirez is absolutely wonderful and he does a great job of making an unlikable characters into a likable one by the end of the film. Robert DeNiro is a great addition to the cast, but honestly it looks as if he just doesn't care that he's in the film. The films story is very interesting and it's one people should see for the varying messages it tells, but it's really predictable and nothing really stands out from a story perspective. Also when you get into the back story of Roberto Duran, you see a lot of the struggles he went through, but often times it comes off as melodramatic. Overall this is just a plain and bland boxing film that doesn't add anything to the genre. I give Hands of Stone 3 out of 10.
So ladies and gentlemen what did you think of Hands of Stone, what would you rate it and what did you think of my review? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.
Jonah Sparks
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