The Boxer

The Boxer is dark movie about a seemingly unsolvable problem. It's filmed in a constant dark, dreary, depressing light; this light reflects not only the weather but the mood of Northern Ireland.

This expose of "the troubles" in N. Ireland uses a story about a boxer who returns to his home after being released after 14 years of imprisonment. His goal is to take his most usable asset (boxing) and make something of himself and his former coach.

Like everything in N. Ireland, living normally is laced with problems when you're in the middle of a war. His interest in his now-married former girlfriend is forbidden, since prisoners of war wives are off limits to honor the prisoner. Accepting gifts from the police force is also a sign of capitulation, and as such carries penalties.

The film clearly shows that those that wish to make peace (however passively) and live normal lives are marked as disloyal and targeted by the Irish Mafia (alluded to as the IRA in the film).

It's a sad commentary on a desolate group of trouble makers in a growing desolate land.

After fourteen years in prison for terrorist activities, Danny Flynn is released and returns to his community. Having blanked the IRA members in the jail with him Danny is not very popular but, since he didn't name names, is allowed to live when he comes out. Looking to get past the violence that stole over a decade of his life, Danny reopens his former boxing gym within a local community centre so that he can give the youth of the area something other than hatred and violence. However the discovery of Semtex in the community centre and his insistence that the gym is a non-sectarian venue brings him into direct conflict with the local members of the army council of Sinn Fein/IRA.

Perhaps I should not have watched this film today but it has been sitting on my "to watch" list for ages and I finally got round to it. You say, today the IRA issued a statement saying that the British and Irish governments "should not underestimate the seriousness of the situation" – the situation being them refusing to give up guns now that the police, the Irish government and the British government all believe that the IRA (while on ceasefire and supposedly pursuing peace) carried out the biggest robbery of recent memory in Christmas 2004. Now I do not know for sure whether they did or not but I do believe that all terrorist groups (and the political parties that represent them) should be ejected from government given that they are all (Republican and Loyalist) still involved in violence, beatings and crime. So this film was even more impacting to me because it was released at a time when I had just left Northern Ireland to live in England and at the time peace looked possible – it is typical that the terrorist groups refuse to do anything unless it is on their terms (even a neutral would have to admit that the British government has bent over backwards to get them involved).

Anyway, perhaps this film is the perfect vehicle to watch on such a night because, unlike many films about Northern Ireland, it doesn't have a bias one way or the other, but rather looks at the "ordinary" people who try to deal with the struggle and, like many films on this subject it gets the mood right even if the material is not that hot. By "mood" or "tone" I mean that this film has little hope within it and is not for viewers who are caught up in the current US assurances that terrorism is something that is being beaten by the use of weapons. Watching it on this day I can say that the portrayal of "the people" as keen to see it all settled in a fair way with both groups of terrorists surrendering their weapons, but the whole thing is confused by those who (like today) refuse to give up the gun while still hoping to be a "proper" government. However, outside of this the material is surprisingly weak. Northern Ireland in the mid-nineties didn't quite look like this and many aspects of the story are simplified – partly to make it a easier story but partly to keep up the movie stable that parts of the IRA are actually peace-loving people who would just love to get rid of every last bullet and gun. This material is rather patronising and may annoy those who have actually lived in the conflict rather than viewed it from the mainland.

The story also involves a romance that didn't totally convince me and the usual backdrop of a man trying to get out of the situation; it isn't great but the story has enough going on to hold the attention while also showing the wider depression about the conflict. The cast try hard and they do make the film better thanks to their work. Day-Lewis is always worth a watch and, even if he is a bit self-righteous here, he is still a fine actor and his performance is better than the character he has been given. Likewise Watson seems to have been given an insight into her character that is not available to the audience via the script, however she raises the standard by her work. Cox is good but his character is impossible to buy into. Support is also good from McSorley, Fitzgerald and others.

Overall this is not a great film but it is not a bad one and I suppose Northern Ireland is a very difficult subject to tackle. The story is rather patronising at times and rather bland at others but the film does manage to get the tone right (even if the scenes are a bit OTT at times). Bush may speak with grand words but this film and today's statements from Sinn Fein/IRA show that there are no easy answers and, no matter what the will of the people is, if guns are still involved then there will never be a peace. The film captures this truth well, shame it doesn't do much else as well.

The Boxer is an excellent film in almost all its aspects. The acting is quite good across the board, especially Emily Watson and Brian Cox. The cinematography is often stunning, especially in the way it uses the cold and minimalist color palette. There's a palatable sense of tension that flows throughout the picture, made more taut by the various directing techniques used by Jim Sheridan. One technique is the shots from the helicopters that circle above Belfast, showing a community that is under siege and giving a greater perspective on what it's like to live in this part of the city. And there are three parts to the story, all of which work very well. There's the story of Danny's release from prison and his attempt to start a boxing club. There's the romance between him and Emily Watson, a romance that is forbidden by I.R.A. codes. And then there's the I.R.A. themselves, struggling to find peace but being broken apart from within by leaders of splinter factions. A very moving film (with a great score by Gavin Friday and Maurice Seezer as well) and a film that really addresses the issues of neverending violence in a very direct and emotional way.

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!!

I think the reason this wasn't as well received as MY LEFT FOOT and IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER (the previous collaborations of Daniel Day-Lewis and Jim Sheridan) is this is telling a more complex tale, and while I loved both of those films, this one you have to work harder for. It should be said there are some lapses, particularly in the dialogue, which is often unnecessarily repeated. And sometimes, in his attempt not to play on our emotions too much, Sheridan goes too far in the opposite direction, making the film too distant.

Still, this is a powerful film. Sheridan was accused with IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER with making an anti-British film, but in that one and this one, he shows he's not afraid of taking on his own people as well. At the same time, while his sympathies are with Day-Lewis' character, he's able to recognize all sides of the situation, as to emphasize the point that peace is always hard work. Day-Lewis, as usual, gives an outstanding performance, though he's a little too old, and Watson continues to grow as an actress with her performance.