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.
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.