Jawbone

R

2017

1 hr. 31 min.

Action

Drama

List

96%

27 Reviews

Tomatometer

70%

100+ Ratings

Audience Score

A former boxing champion, long past his prime, returns to his childhood boxing club. He reunites with his old corner man and promoter, hoping the team can teach him to stand tall once more.

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isla s

This is a raw, gritty sports drama. Its not unlike Rocky I suppose, in as much as its the 'typical guy feeling down and out goes for one last shot of glory' type film. The performances are certainly decent and it felt suitably authentic. Most of the film is quite darkly lit, which makes sense given the settings and the tone of the film. Its relatively engrossing and I would recommend it, yes.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Whilst there are of course several cast members that build up this story, the film does sit firmly on the shoulders of Johnny Harris, who has never let down any camera he performs in front of and gives here one of his best performances to date as Jimmy. Even in scenes where he has no dialogue, he lights up the screen and even a glance,a look, or a grimace or a smile does exactly what it needs to and keeps the gripping storyline going along at a perfect pace.If you are a fan of boxing films then Jawbone is perfect for you, but even if you arent a fan of boxing films then Jawbone is also the perfect film for you. A brilliant human drama that just so happens to have some of the best boxing choreography that the screen has seen (and yes I have seen Raging Bull and all the Rocky films) Director Thomas Napper has done a wonderful job with this film and I cant wait to see what he does for his follow up project and as for writer Johnny Harris. This man seems to have no end to his talents. Great work!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

Full Review

Manny P

Nothing original in this. Ok it's working class grit and grime, but it's been done to death. If anything, it reminded me of Kes and its social demographic. Winstone and McShane atypical performances that they could pull off in their sleep.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/20

Full Review

Audience Member

I would have gave Jawbone 3 out of 4 but the camera work on the end boxing scene made me nuisance.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

04/01/18

Full Review

Audience Member

Fantastic acting, always love Winstone. Harris delivers spectacularly. Trainer is awesome. Enjoyed the way the movie was filmed. Movie is very realistic and shows the grittiness of a down and out boxer trying to survive. Only thing keeping it from being a better than good movie is the plot, as it could have been developed so much better; but this is often associated with lower budget films unfortunately.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/19/18

Full Review

dylan h

.The camera work is fantastic , Smiley and Winstone are great in supporting roles but Johnny Harris is absolutely outstanding as a boxer whos past it and fighting his demons just to make it through each day.The film is gritty , far more realistic than other boxing related films I have seen and flows at a great speed.Outstanding and shining throughout is the performance of the almost tragic Jimmy McCabe by the excellent Johnny Harris.How I have not seen this guy in other major roles I do not know.I have had the pleasure in watching hundreds of films and this performance to me ranked up there with the very best I have seen.Yes it's a storyline that has been used before but if only to watch Johnny Harris.The camera work is fabulous and you can taste the sweat and almost feel the punches. A great watch.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Thomas Q. Napper

Director

Ian McShane

Joe Padgett

Ray Winstone

William Carney

Johnny Harris

Jimmy McCabe

Michael Smiley

Eddie

Anna Wilson-Hall

Mary

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Tara Brady

Irish Times

This is the small-time, replete with unforgiving glare and hostile punters.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 14, 2017

Full Review

Olly Richards

Empire Magazine

As a writing debut for Harris and a feature-directing debut for Napper, this is extremely promising. As a role for Harris, it's a sign that a great British actor may have just hit his moment.

Rated: 4/5

May 15, 2017

Full Review

Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

The familiar boxing movie trajectory doesn't lessen the forceful punch of this underdog story.

Rated: 4/5

May 14, 2017

Full Review

Rachel Brook

One Room With A View

Jawbone is an odd hybrid of gritty British drama, character study, and sports movie. It develops so slowly that it's almost a surprise to see protagonist Jimmy suddenly climb into the boxing ring for a proper fight.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 5, 2019

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Jennie Kermode

Eye for Film

Whilst there's little that's actually wrong with this film besides a general lack of energy, it just doesn't have much to say.

Rated: 2.5/5

Feb 22, 2018

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Julian Wood

FILMINK (Australia)

...there are moments of simple truthfulness.

Rated: 17/20

Oct 21, 2017

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Synopsis

A former boxing champion, long past his prime, returns to his childhood boxing club. He reunites with his old corner man and promoter, hoping the team can teach him to stand tall once more.

Director: Thomas Q. Napper
Executive Producer: Andrew Eaton, Celine Haddad
Screenwriter: Johnny Harris
Production Co: EMU Films, BBC Films, Revolution Films
Rating: R (Language Throughout)
Genre: Action, Drama
Original Language: English (United Kingdom)
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 23, 2018

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