Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher

2022

1h 47m

Biography

Drama

List

20%

15 Reviews

Tomatometer

45%

50+ Ratings

Audience Score

At the turn of the 19th century, Pugilism is the sport of kings and a gifted young boxer, James Belchar, fights his way into becoming the champion of England.

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Prime Video

Stream Now

Prime Video

Watch Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher with a subscription on Prime Video.

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 out of 5 stars

06/21/23

Full Review

Robert K

It's an oft-told story but well done nevertheless.

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 out of 5 stars

08/19/22

Full Review

philip c

Terrible. Dull, slow, plodding.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

antonis k

It has it's moments thanks to some well known faces but the story and the narrative is basically the exact same that we have seen in other (much better) boxing films. (5/10)

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Brandon P

These movies are all the same. Russell Crowe and Ray Winstone are exactly the same in all of the roles they play. Lame.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

08/05/22

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Daniel Graham

Director

Matt Hookings

Jem Belcher

Ray Winstone

Bill Warr

Russell Crowe

Jack Slack

Marton Csokas

Lord Rushworth

Jodhi May

Mary Belcher

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

80%

91%

Johnny

92%

71%

The First Film

68%

71%

Sister Aimee

TRAILER

for Sister Aimee

29%

%

Kaagaz

43%

50%

Miss Marx

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Tom Shone

Times (UK)

... About as subtle as a blow to the kidneys.

Rated: 2/5

Aug 8, 2022

Full Review

Kevin Maher

Times (UK)

The lighting from cinematographer Ben Braham Ziryab is sometimes quite lovely, but the narrative is painfully ploddy... A rollicking Georgian Rocky it ain’t.

Rated: 2/5

Jul 22, 2022

Full Review

Robbie Collin

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Boxing enthusiasts might well take satisfaction from seeing Belcher’s story told with obvious energy and diligence, and Crowe and Winstone are good value. But by most other measures, it’s a swing and a miss.

Rated: 2/5

Jul 21, 2022

Full Review

Fausto Fernandez

Fotogramas

A somewhat placid, agreeable, yet not entirely interesting, period chronicle that recreates a love story seen a thousand times... [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 3/5

Nov 7, 2022

Full Review

Javier Cortijo

Cinemanía (Spain)

One thing is to look for the apparent simplicity and another is to propose a topical story of overcoming, with fall and resurgence, where there is not even a miserable subplot. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 2.5/5

Oct 31, 2022

Full Review

Whang Yee Ling

The Straits Times (Singapore)

Nothing convinces, not the jaundiced period lighting and not the characters.

Rated: 2/5

Aug 11, 2022

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

At the turn of the 19th century, Pugilism is the sport of kings and a gifted young boxer, James Belchar, fights his way into becoming the champion of England.

Director: Daniel Graham
Producer: Matthew E. Chausse, Norman Merry
Screenwriter: Matt Hookings, Matt Hookings
Production Co: Camelot Films, Hardman Pictures, Just Bridge Entertainment
Genre: Biography, Drama
Original Language: English (United Kingdom)
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 22, 2022
Runtime: 1h 47m

Most Popular at Home Now