Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher

This biographical film was released on theaters on July 22, 2022 and is now available to stream online.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 47 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: B-

IN A NUTSHELL:

At the turn of the 19^th century, Pugilism (boxing) was a sport of kings. A gifted young boxer named Jem Belcher fought his way out of poverty and into praise by becoming the youngest champion of all England. The movie is based on an inspirational, true story in British sports history.

The dramatic biopic was directed by Daniel Graham and written by Matt Hookings, who also stars in it!

THINGS I LIKED:

Fans of boxing will enjoy the action in the ring. And there is plenty of it. My husband and one of my sons loves boxing and I think they’ll like this movie too.
It’s the presence of Russell Crowe’s face on the movie poster that will grab most people’s attention. He does a great job, but sadly, isn’t in the movie as much as I had hoped. Still, it’s fun to see him in another boxing movie since he starred as the young boxer in Cinderella Man back in 2005!
Ray Winstone is another great catch for this cast. He’s crusty, salty, and perfect as Jem Belcher’s demanding coach.
I love a good training montage!
Fantastic soundtrack
Interesting characters with depth.
It made me laugh (twice) when Jem Belcher gazes off into nothing while the music soars with emotion, and then suddenly, his coach slaps his face to bring him back to reality.
We get to read on the screen at the end of the movie “the rest of the story” about certain characters.
I think I enjoyed this a lot more than most film critics for some reason. The movie isn’t perfect, but it’s also not as terrible as some are saying.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

The transition from Jim Belcher as a child to an adult happened in a split second. I know that happens a lot in movies, but the editing from scene to scene was super abrupt.
Some of the Extras are terrible. Why does the camera keep focusing on them?
Some of the details of Jem Belcher’s life aren’t accurate. For example, he never met his grandfather, who was also a well-known boxer in his time. Some of the details of boxing’s history are also incorrect.
There’s something off about the lighting filter.
The final fight scene is filled with boxing tropes we saw years ago in the Rocky movies.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Profanity and lots of F-bombs
Sooo much blood
Lots of violent boxing and fighting
A man licks blood to show how tough he is. Ick.
Lots of alcohol. One of the characters describes champagne as “something special from the anti-Christ in France.” Ha ha
Cock fighting is shown
An unmarried man and woman are seen tumbling in bed
Profanity
We see several completely topless women
An unmarried man “backdoors” a woman aggressively

THEMES:

Family
Legacy
Discipline
Respect for athletes
The art of sports
Money and prestige

INTERESTING LINES:

“You don’t want blood on your hands!” – Mary Belcher (Jodhi May)
“Violence is as much about taking pain as it is inflicting it.” – Jack Slack (Russell Crowe)
“The only way to protect yourself is to attack.” – Jack Slack (Russell Crowe)
“When opportunity knocks, one must answer.” – Lord Rushworth (Marton Csokas)
“When your grave’s filled and your flesh rots away, all you have is your name.” – Jack Slack (Russell Crowe)