Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher

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Elias Y Storytelling is terrible. It's impossible to follow the storyline and 50% of the actors are the worst I've ever seen. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 06/21/23 Full Review Robert K It's an oft-told story but well done nevertheless. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/31/22 Full Review Trina B IN A NUTSHELL: At the turn of the 19th century, Pugilism (boxing) was a sport of kings. A gifted young boxer named Jem Belcher fought his way out of poverty and into praise by becoming the youngest champion of all England. The movie is based on an inspirational, true story in British sports history. The dramatic biopic was directed by Daniel Graham and written by Matt Hookings, who also stars in it! THINGS I LIKED: Fans of boxing will enjoy the action in the ring. And there is plenty of it. My husband and one of my sons loves boxing and I think they'll like this movie too. It's the presence of Russell Crowe's face on the movie poster that will grab most people's attention. He does a great job, but sadly, isn't in the movie as much as I had hoped. Still, it's fun to see him in another boxing movie since he starred as the young boxer in Cinderella Man back in 2005! Ray Winstone is another great catch for this cast. He's crusty, salty, and perfect as Jem Belcher's demanding coach. I love a good training montage! Fantastic soundtrack Interesting characters with depth. It made me laugh (twice) when Jem Belcher gazes off into nothing while the music soars with emotion, and then suddenly, his coach slaps his face to bring him back to reality. We get to read on the screen at the end of the movie "the rest of the story" about certain characters. I think I enjoyed this a lot more than most film critics for some reason. The movie isn't perfect, but it's also not as terrible as some are saying. THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: The transition from Jim Belcher as a child to an adult happened in a split second. I know that happens a lot in movies, but the editing from scene to scene was super abrupt. Some of the Extras are terrible. Why does the camera keep focusing on them? Some of the details of Jem Belcher's life aren't accurate. For example, he never met his grandfather, who was also a well-known boxer in his time. Some of the details of boxing's history are also incorrect. There's something off about the lighting filter. The final fight scene is filled with boxing tropes we saw years ago in the Rocky movies. TIPS FOR PARENTS: Profanity and lots of F-bombs Sooo much blood Lots of violent boxing and fighting A man licks blood to show how tough he is. Ick. Lots of alcohol. One of the characters describes champagne as "something special from the anti-Christ in France." Ha ha Cock fighting is shown An unmarried man and woman are seen tumbling in bed Profanity We see several completely topless women An unmarried man "backdoors" a woman aggressively THEMES: Family Legacy Discipline Respect for athletes The art of sports Money and prestige You can see the full review on the Movie Review Mom YouTube channel. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 08/19/22 Full Review philip c Terrible. Dull, slow, plodding. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Absolute bore of a boxing story, which even feels poorly lit and cheaply put together, having a great actor like Crowe making a fool out of himself. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member This is one of those too-harshly-reviewed movies. Though it missed being a favorite or very memorable movie in itself, I easily watched the whole thing - which for me and any movie these days is about 15% chance. It had all the elements of a good movie, and Act 1 did a good job, Crowe keeps it lively - but it misses on one or two key things - solid story telling, and strong emotional build for heroes and villains. I have a sneaking suspicion they might have been able to do it, but were worried about time and it got edited too much. So while one understands the gist of parts, it glosses over moments that are needed for empathy building. I have to say, if you like this genre and are an avid movie watcher, and find it difficult to find movies that are interesting or hold your attention - this may be worth it. Give it 10 minutes at least, and decide for yourself. It certainly is deserving of far higher than it's current rating. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher

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