There’s a long and proud tradition of boxing-themed movies, but – surprisingly – ‘Winner: The Life of Jem Belcher’, releasing this week through Amazon Prime – was the first to focus solely on the sport’s late 18th and early 19th century heyday.
That’s right, there’s a quirky movie that touches on the ‘golden age’ of boxers – Henry Cooper portrays champion boxer John Gully opposite Malcolm McDowell’s Captain Harry Flashman in ‘Royal Flash’ ‘ in 1975, while boxer Stanley Kubrick ‘Barry Lyndon’ – released the same year – also featured a technically excellent bare-arms boxing scene.
However, ‘Prizefighter’ – was the first film whose story was built around the early days of boxing’s development. In the 1700s and 1800s, pugilism – of course – remained a sport without the limelight, as well as something of a treacherous activity, whose legal status is open to debate. However, it occupies a prominent place in the British national consciousness and a socio-cultural landscape unmatched at any other point in its long history.
A rotating cast of colorful characters who once inhabited the golden age of boxing – including Jack Broughton, Daniel Mendoza, Tom Cribb and Tom Molineaux – are often as nimble as they are talented. Many of them – alas – were also tragic figures, and none more so than the most gifted James ‘Jem’ Belcher, the Bristol stylist, whom many of his contemporaries considered an artist. the most talented pugilist of them all.
A teenage prodigy, when Belcher defeated Andrew Gamble on December 22, 1800 to become the globally recognized Champion of England, he was 19 years, eight months and seven days old. Prominent Georgian boxing scribe Pierce Egan praised Belcher as “a perfect phenomenon in gymnastics”, while Arthur Conan Doyle later introduced him as a character in the novel ‘Rodney’. Stone’ and PG Wodehouse hailed him as a “genius”.
Jem’s fall – sadly – was as swift as his ascent. An accident in 1803 stripped him of one of his eyes and left him crippled – he fought three more times despite being severely disabled, each time losing. In the end, he won’t live to his 31st birthday, succumbing to depression and drinking. Boxer Bill Warr’s friend and colleague was so grief-stricken at Jem’s funeral – where thousands lined the streets of Soho – that he threw himself on top of Belcher’s coffin as it is being lowered to earth.
It’s the credit of Matt Hookings – ‘Prizefighter’ star, producer and screenwriter – that he discovered the impressive potential in Belcher’s life and career story, while also possessing the driving force. and determined to bring the project to the screen, despite numerous setbacks and setbacks.
Indeed, ‘Prizefighter’ was for Hookings – son of former British heavyweight champion David ‘Bomber’ Pearce – a passionate project that took about a decade of writing and rewriting, as well as financial rotation and processing, can become a reality.
Along the way, the ‘Winner’ nearly collapsed several times. Not only did Hookings succeed in salvaging the project, but it also attracted A-list talents to a cast like Ray Winstone and Russell Crowe (the latter, of course – having succeeded when it comes to boxing biopics. , having previously appeared as James J. Braddock in Ron Howard’s 2005 film Cinderella Man, while he served as an amateur boxer for Repton Boxing Club, and also appeared in the 2017 boxing film’ Jawbone’).
For the most part, ‘Prizefighter’ was well worth the wait. The film has many virtues. It’s well-paced and covers the main beats of Belcher’s career with heart and sensible style. The fight scenes are expertly done and managed to convey the violent reality of boxing, while not flaunting or condemning the sport.
However, the greatest virtue of the film is the excellent and perfect cast. Crowe perfectly captures the dangerous, but also excessively drunk, aura of Belcher’s grandfather, Jack Slack, a former British champion, while Winstone excels as Bill Warr, the coach. member of Belcher, showing the role as dazzled and captivating as the earth.
Jodhi May also impresses as Mary, Belcher’s mother, and offers compelling backings and since Marton Csokas as Lord Rushworth, Julian Glover as Lord Ashford and Steven Berkoff as Walter, a prisoner gave Belcher some important wisdom while he was in prison.
Then there’s Hookings himself, who perfectly embodies Belcher’s charm and unpretentious style, while impressing and convincing on a physical level. It was a winning performance, all the more impressive given the experienced company he’s surrounded by. It is the chemistry between Hookings, Crowe and Winstone that gives the film the emotional weight, intensity, and texture.
As a screenwriter, Hookings offers a well-paced story and some tasteful flourishes, notably an adrenaline-stimulating training montage, complete with a few homages to the series. movie ‘Rocky’. The relationship between the main characters is well choreographed and convincing, the climax makes the film both dramatic and emotional.
Beautifully captured by cinematographer Ben Brahem Zinyab, ‘Prizefighter’ struggled at times to get past its low-budget origins – with some scenes being too short to achieve the depth they could. if they breathe longer. Indeed, the entire film would benefit from a longer run, allowing for a deeper immersion into the world and its characters.
Purists may also object to certain historical freedoms being exercised – for example, Belcher and Henry ‘the Game Chicken’ Pearce wear gloves during the film’s final climactic fight, despite though the match took place decades before the rules of the Marquis of Queensbury were formulated.
All these fallacies aside, though, ‘Prizefighter’ is a coiled rope with a strong emotion on one side, which illuminates one of the most compelling characters in the early history of the franchise. older brother. Most of all, it’s a triumphant vindication of Hookings’ remarkable devotion and desire to enliven the story of Jem Belcher – one of the greatest boxers who ever lived, and a man who was greatly despised. unfairly by the capricious nature of history.
