Punch

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1:26

Punch

Released Mar 10, 2023

1h 38m

Drama

LGBTQ+

Sports

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

79%

Tomatometer

19 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Jim is a seventeen-year-old boxer in a small town. He is a golden boy, preparing for a fight that will elevate him to an early professional status. All bets are on his climb to success. But his father Stan is a demanding coach and a notorious alcoholic. In the town Stan is treated like a joke but he has given everything to see his son gain professional status and escape the brutality of his small world. As Jim begins to rethink why he is fighting his life tangles with Whetu, a razor-tongued, gay Maori boy who spends his days in an old shack down by the beach. With his dog Moimoi he cobbles together a fragile glamour and dreams of leaving town to become a musician. As Jim stumbles towards discovering what it really is to be a gay man, he is forced to see that strength has little to do with heroism.

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Cath Clarke

Guardian

It’s a delicate film with a pair of lovely, natural-feeling performances from its two leads.

Rated: 3/5

Nov 8, 2023

Full Review

Noel Murray

Los Angeles Times

Ings does a fine job of capturing the instant connection between these two young men and in conveying Jim’s combination of excitement and terror when he realizes this bond could evolve easily into a romance.

Mar 10, 2023

Full Review

Kyle Turner

New York Times

Flowing and keenly observant of its characters and setting, “Punch” swings above its weight class.

Mar 9, 2023

Full Review

Rich Cline

Shadows on the Wall

Writer-director Welby Ings makes the most of the setting's natural beauty and the toxic masculinity that oozes throughout the premise, both of which add layers to the characters.

Rated: 3.5/5

Nov 21, 2023

Full Review

Ben Turner

The Pink Lens

Drenched in the cold light of the seashore, these two opposites find themselves in each other. And alongside them, we fall in love with them both.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 9, 2023

Full Review

Darryl Griffiths

Movie Marker

Punch could benefit from being more studied in its attack, but the collective efforts of its committed ensemble make it worth going a few rounds with.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 13, 2023

Full Review

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Stephen C

Sports and pride in 1 hour and 38 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/11/25

Full Review

Brendon E

A brilliantly written and acted emotional NZ film, definitely worth watching.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/20/25

Full Review

Lana t

It's a great movie, very authentic and heartfelt. The writing and acting are spectacular and the main characters are multifaceted. The whole outdoor ambiance of New Zealand is very unusual and interesting. Had to look away during some scenes but the movie does a good job of rectifying those moments later.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/02/25

Full Review

Jeremy C

Wistful, touching and honest. It's a great flick to cuddle up on the couch and watch. The acting (and chemistry) by the two leads is tremendous and Tim Roth anchors these as an alcoholic father you can't help but feel for. The infatuation between Jim and Whetu nails the coming-of-age vibe and the small town homophobia feels real, though the hate crime did feel a little too shock and awe. The whole endeavour was pretty great until the last 10 minutes, where it suddenly goes an off the rails. Whilst the end is sweet, it feels a bit half baked.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/16/24

Full Review

Jerod S

It's a cluster of family dysfunctionality with a resolution that looks really lonely.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/25/24

Full Review

Paul M

Beautiful photography and natural scenery compliment some assured acting, special note for Tim Roth. However the story is a very well trodden path with no surprises and takes way too long in getting there. Opportunity lost most definitely.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/27/23

Full Review

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Welby Ings

Director

Tim Roth

Stan

Jordan Oosterhof

Jim Richardson

Conan Hayes

Whetu

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Chelsea

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Punch: Trailer 1

1:26

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Synopsis

Jim is a seventeen-year-old boxer in a small town. He is a golden boy, preparing for a fight that will elevate him to an early professional status. All bets are on his climb to success. But his father Stan is a demanding coach and a notorious alcoholic. In the town Stan is treated like a joke but he has given everything to see his son gain professional status and escape the brutality of his small world. As Jim begins to rethink why he is fighting his life tangles with Whetu, a razor-tongued, gay Maori boy who spends his days in an old shack down by the beach. With his dog Moimoi he cobbles together a fragile glamour and dreams of leaving town to become a musician. As Jim stumbles towards discovering what it really is to be a gay man, he is forced to see that strength has little to do with heroism.

Director: Welby Ings
Producer: Robin Murphy, Catherine Fitzgerald
Screenwriter: Welby Ings, Welby Ings
Distributor: Dark Star Pictures
Production Co: Yellow Affair, Blueskin Films Ltd., Punch Productions, Prospect Films, New Zealand Film Commission, Robin Murphy Productions
Genre: Drama, LGBTQ+, Sports
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 10, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 10, 2023
Runtime: 1h 38m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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