The Boxer (Collector's Edition)

Daniel Day Lewis and Emily Watson give stellar performances. I saw Emily Watson in "Breaking the Waves" which I did not understand at all, but I did recognize a fine actress. I've seen all of Daniel Day Lewis' films--even his early releases. This is one of my favorite DDL films--a difficult choice as he has made so many excellent films. The supporting cast is composed of first class actors. The scenes are terribly realistic. I still jump when a bomb explodes early in the movie, and the boxing scenes are fabulous. (In the fifties I was a fan of Carmine Basilio, so I know what the real thing looks like.)

The contrast of stark, war-torn Belfast with tenacious individuals attempting to lead relatively normal lives--marrying, having children, teaching day-school, mopping floors, is heart-rending. Who wouldn't root for peace?

Those who have taken one side or the other in this awful conflict might not appreciate the neutrality of the film. That is the whole point. Most of the Irish are fed up and want to get on with their lives. I thought the coincidence of the film release with the current peace process effort was grand.


One Boxer's Rebellion   February 21, 2002
Gregor von Kallahann
10 out of 11 found this review helpful

It's odd that a film about such a volatile subject (Northern Ireland's "Troubles") should be so understated in its way, but Jim Sheridan's "The Boxer" is just that--despite the occasional explosion and political assassination. The trailers that I saw in theaters a few years back almost suggested one of those "lovers-torn-apart-in-a-world-gone-mad" films that we've all come to know and find suspect. But the tone of the actual film is really quite muted.

What makes "The Boxer" ring true is the very tentativeness of the relationship between Daniel Day-Lewis and Emily Watson's characters. One time teenage lovers, they have been separated for 14 years while Danny Flynn (Day-Lewis) served a prison term for unspecified political activity. Released now, at the age of 32, he wants only to be left alone and to resume his boxing career. To Sheridan's credit, the irony that the BOXER has, in fact, become a man of peace is not dwelled upon. Nor is the tentative reunion with his lost love exactly the stuff of Sturm und Drang.

There is an overall sense of Irish reserve in the film, a sense that brutal political realities have left all of its characters emotionally stunted. That may be "The Boxer's" greatest achievement, in fact, that the human cost of this political tragedy is not just measured in the body counts, but in the thousands of "small deaths" each individual experiences almost daily.


Moody, Deep and Rewarding   October 4, 2003
WILLIE A YOUNG II (Houston, TX.)
8 out of 9 found this review helpful

I love Daniel Day-Lewis. His wounded slow burn as Danny Flynn, a man recently released from prison after more than a decade, returning to his old neighborhood and trying to escape the ghosts of his past but confronted by the woman he (still) loves, who has married and had a child and a host of friends still separated by the politics of war is a quiet revelation. While his attempt to revive his career as a fighter fizzles and his life is under constant threat, Danny makes the most of his situation by standing up against the opression and laws that have cost so many of his friends their freedom and in some cases, their lives. Emily Watson is note perfect as his former love interest and she brings a quiet dignity to her role as a single mother torn between devotion to her imprisoned husband, protecting her pre-teen son, and her resurging feelings for Danny. While many won't like the tone and pacing of this film, I find it entrancing and marvel at Day-Lewis vulnerable, quiet power. Superb!


Heartbreaking.   November 22, 2002
Andy Williamson (Chicago, IL)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

THE BOXER is a *powerful* film. It's hard not to get involved in the life of Danny Flynn, played by Daniel Day-Lewis and Maggie, played beautifully by the amazing Emily Watson. This is probably my favorite film to address the conflict in Northern Ireland. The film reeks of the tension and brooding atmosphere of that troubled area of the world. Flynn is a boxer who has just been released from prison after fourteen years. He returns to a home where nothing is what it once was; his girlfriend is married and has a son, his neighbors are suspicious of him, the neighborhood goons attempt to suck him back into his old life. All he wants to do is run a gym and box. The development of the story is heartbreaking as Maggie and Danny begin to rediscover old feelings for each other in the midst of the turmoil. Maggie's husband is in prison himself, and Danny must tread carefully to avoid upsetting anyone. Loyalties change and are questioned. When Danny bucks the system things begin to get interesting...

A beautiful film with gorgeous color and a high quality DVD transfer in every respect. Everyone should see this film once.

Highly recommended.


Film and actors are totally winning   November 15, 2001
Jayne MacManus (San Francisco, CA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

A brilliant actor in chronically off-putting roles, Daniel Day-Lewis turns in his most accessible performance to date. As the title character, he's local boy, Danny Flynn, released from jail after 14 years and now coming back to his old Belfast neighborhood. It's not an easy return considering that he's no longer chummy with his IRA roots and that he's still has a yen for his former girlfriend Maggie (Emily Watson) who happens to be the local IRA chief's daughter.

*** Director and co-writer Jim Sheridan has constructed a complex film running on three distinct courses: the IRA, Danny's boxing, and the love story between Danny and Maggie. Each are remarkable on their own, but intertwined together, they become even more powerful.

*** Although it gets the least screen time, the love story is especially wonderful. Daniel Day-Lewis and Emily Watson reunite their characters in such a careful, intense manner that you're literally holding your breath watching them. It's absolutely exquisite.