Prece ao Nascer do Dia

Really intense prison-/boxing-/survival-drama. Its shocking, uncomfortable and harsh. Fortunately I have never been to a Prison like that but It felt so real. Where did they find all these tattooed thugs? The characters are all believable and the cinematography is original. You can see an impressive "oner" during the first fight in the ring. There is very little dialog and the subtitles for are absent for most of the time. I suspect this is done on purpose to make us feel like the protagonist Billy Moore. The sound design is great! The panting is loud during some of the scenes and the clashing, sweaty bodies in the fights sound just fantastic! The only complaint that I have is that it felt a bit long because it got a little repetitive, especially during the training sessions.

"A Prayer Before Dawn" is a movie that basically does what it says it will.

It depicts a drug addled boxer who gets sentenced to prison in Thailand. He witnesses rape and assault and realises he can win back his freedom in Muay Thai fights.

Joe Cole, in the lead, doesn't inspire much sympathy from the viewer. He is not particularly charismatic. It is hard to care about what you are seeing. The movie isn't as brutal as it might have been, and anyone watching it for the fight scenes will be disappointed: this isn't a martial arts movie.

Films about prisons and martial arts are usually attractive. "A Prayer Before Dawn" is a combination of the two genres and the most important: based on the true story of the English boxer William "Billy" Moore brilliantly performed by Joe Cole. The story of the addicted in heroin boxer that is arrested in Thailand and sent to a notorious prison, learning Muay Thay and winning an important tournament that changed his life gives the sensation of a documentary shot in a prison in Thailand. The plot and scenes are realistic and brutal, totally different from most of the Hollywood productions of the genre. It is not in the same level of the masterpiece "Midnight Express", but expresses the sensation of a Caucasian in a foreigner prison. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

A very brutal and realistic watch. This movie is very well made and had great acting from Joe Cole. It is good to know the context before hand of the story of Billy Moore, because this is based on a real story. Even though no one throughout the entire movie spoke english to Billy the story of his struggle was told alone by his acting, it was very emotional and heart wrenching. The movie made you feel just as alone and confused Billy Moore was in a room full of people. And to those very few people who did speak english it made you feel the hope that Billy felt for those moments. I wouldn't recommend to those who can be sensitive to the realistic elements of an extremely brutal prison and that includes gore, suicide, sexual assault, addiction to drugs, etc. Every moment throughout the movie you are always wishing the best for Billy hoping he can make it and not wanting to see him fail, and feeling great empathy for him. A lot of the movie can feel like it has no context and you can get confused and have many questions so that's why I think you should read about Billy Moores story online to answer those questions. Only complaint I have is I wish they had shed some light on Billy's life before his drug addiction began again and his life in Thailand, but the ending was a good ending leading you to go online and search up your questions. Overall very well done emotional story, good cinematography, and great acting, 9/10 I recommend to watch.

Real story, real people, real locations...this movie is as real as it gets. Took my breath away honestly. It doesnt happen offen that i feel a movie and the emotions of a character that intens. Its a experience. I am a director too, and judge a lot of movies because i think i could have done them better. But this one is on another level. What the director did is truly amazing. An impressive and intimidating masterpiece!!