Powerful

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

I rarely watch movies more than once, however this is my second time watching "The Boxer". Why? Because the airline I was on when I watched the film is stupid. What I mean is that I'd seen 95% of the film---then they cut it off!! For years, I always wondered what happened at the end and finally I've gotten around to it.Before I talk about the movie, I did find the choice of rolls for Daniel Day-Lewis very interesting. After doing "My Left Foot" and "In the Name of the Father", he chose yet another film set in Ireland or Northern Ireland. Because of this, and especially coming after "In the Name of the Father", there is a HUGE sense of Déjà vu, not only for the location but because BOTH films are about an Irishman who has been imprisoned for IRA activities. Though in this film Day-Lewis' character is much calmer, sweeter and subtle than in these other films--plus you really have to admire the way he prepared for this role*.The film begins with Danny (Day-Lewis) about to be released from prison. I don't recall what it is he did to get there but it had to do with IRA activities and Danny is sick of prison and wants to put it all behind him. As far as he's concerned, although he's now 32, he wants to pick up with his old boxing gym (Holy Family) and distance himself from the IRA. He obviously has become disenchanted by them and their killing of innocent civilians. Now he just wants to box and do something very radical for Northern Ireland--open up the gym to young would-be boxers of all faiths--not just Catholics. His goal is to facilitate the healing through boxing and his idea generally is well received--though his old compatriots are not particularly pleased and do everything they can to keep the fires of hatred stoked. Plus, his old flame (Emily Watson) isn't sure if she should be loyal to him or her rather toxic family.I really liked this film but noticed there were LOTS of divergent opinions. As a person with neither British nor Irish heritage, perhaps that is why I appreciated its message that it's time to stop the violence and have peace. I am sure this simple message irritated many on both sides of an insane conflict, though to me it just seems like a reasonable thing. Extremely well acted and quite gripping--I sure liked this film. I should warn you, however, the film is tough to watch at times. The boxing match with the Nigerian is one of the toughest and bloodiest in film history and the ending sure is tough to watch as well.By the way, it could be because I watched the film streaming through Netflix, but there were no captions. I really would have preferred them since I am a bit hard of hearing and it's sometimes tough for me to understand the accents--and I am sure some others might have the same experience.*Day-Lewis' acting method is legendary and even a bit scary. Even most method actors would be shocked how he puts himself into the roles (such as behaving as if he had severe cerebral palsy every second--even when the cameras were off while doing "My Left Foot"--necessitating insane things to accommodate his 'disability' by the crew). Here, according to IMDb, he worked for three years (THREE YEARS!) to perfect his boxing skills! Wow...that's dedication. And, while it might sound crazy, he is the actor with the most lifetime Oscars for Best Actor with three statuettes to his credit so far!!

First of all The Boxer has Day-Lewis in top form. And according to Barry McGuigan who trained him for the boxing, he would have made a damn good middleweight (?) - his usual immersion taken to new levels.And the support is marvellous. Always like Brian Cox, but here he's joined by Gerard McSorley and Ken Stott who put real grit and heart (resp.)in the story.Yes, it can be seen as dour and downbeat, but there's a lot that rings true. Boxing has a strange cross-cultural appeal up North, and there were indeed instances of Protestant boxers in Catholic Clubs, and vice versa. Needless to say when any one of them took on an outsider there was an immediate unity that politicians could only dream about.When during the first match Ike introduces the Protestant parents of a boxer who once boxed for the club (Sammy Orr), but who died in "the Troubles", I just choke up.Everybody loves a fighter, and if you were in similar circumstances ???.Don't forget it's a more than slightly sanitized version of real life. But as most people found it bleak and depressing already I won't continue.Watch the great performances, and every scene - there's something going on at every turn.

Sheridan's 'The Boxer' is far more complex than his other films like 'In The Name of The Father', 'My Left Foot' and 'In America'. The story revolves around a neighborhood of ordinary (and not-so-ordinary people) living in a troubled Northern Ireland. Sheridan successfully depicts the problem from both sides. One witnesses how difficult it is to lead a normal life in peace as this will be looked down upon and even used against you. The use of washed out colour gives a gloomy and depressing feel, and ironically also shows the weather. But, contradicting that Sheridan also skillfully portrays the love, devotion and hope of the people.Fine performances are almost always expected from Sheridan's films and here too the actors do an outstanding job. Daniel Day-Lewis is superb. His restraint reflects Danny's calm dignity and he is very convincing as the man who recognizes a second opportunity in life and tries to make the better of it. Emily Watson is sublime. Her quiet portrayal of Maggie's strength, pride, courage and vulnerability is spot on. Brian Cox is stupendous. Gerard McSorley proves again how wickedly good he can be when it comes to playing menacing characters. Ken Stott is excellent.I feel the reason why 'The Boxer' is so underrated and not as highly regarded as Sheridan's other films is because it's far more complicated than what they're used to seeing. However, in my opinion, this is just as effective as Scorsese's 'Raging Bull' and better than the likes of 'Rocky.

I cannot imagine a better example of religion's failure than the war in Northern Ireland. The land that we celebrate in March as a place of happiness is one where Catholics and Protestants bathed the ground with the blood of their young.Danny (Daniel Day-Lewis) is a former IRA member who has spent the last 14 years in prison. he just wants to get on with his life and forget the war, but it is still going on and cannot be ignored. He also has unresolved personal issues with Maggie (Emily Watson) to address. They have to sneak around as she is a symbol - a wife with a husband in prison for his activities.Outstanding performances by Daniel Day-Lewis (My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown , There Will Be Blood, Gangs of New York) and Emily Watson (Hilary and Jackie, Breaking the Waves, Punch-Drunk Love), and Brian Cox (Zodiac, The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy) as the man who was trying to establish a peace.As you would expect of a film set in the war, there is no comedy or romance, just a dark, dirty, grim tale of life as it really is, not what we wish it to be. A brilliant cast giving us a needed reminder of the cost of war.