X
- 2016
- R
- The Weinstein Company
- 1 h 51 m
- 2016
- R
- The Weinstein Company
- 1 h 51 m
Summary Hands of Stone follows the life of Roberto Duran (Edgar Ramirez), the Panamanian fighter who made his professional debut in 1968 as a 16 year-old and retired in 2002 at the age of 50. In June 1980, he defeated Sugar Ray Leonard (Usher Raymond) to capture the WBC welterweight title, but shocked the boxing world by returning to his corner ...
Directed By: Jonathan Jakubowicz
- 2016
- R
- The Weinstein Company
- 1 h 51 m
- 2016
- R
- The Weinstein Company
- 1 h 51 m
Hands of Stone
54
5.9
Where to Watch
Summary Hands of Stone follows the life of Roberto Duran (Edgar Ramirez), the Panamanian fighter who made his professional debut in 1968 as a 16 year-old and retired in 2002 at the age of 50. In June 1980, he defeated Sugar Ray Leonard (Usher Raymond) to capture the WBC welterweight title, but shocked the boxing world by returning to his corner ...
Directed By: Jonathan Jakubowicz
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 31 Critic Reviews
54
39% Positive
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
48% Mixed
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
13% Negative
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 31 Critic Reviews
54
39% Positive
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
48% Mixed
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
13% Negative
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
The acting in all roles is first rate, but in this one De Niro regains the title of undisputed champion.
Ana de Armas makes a lasting impression as Felicidad, the angelic girl (her hair is braided, like a halo) who’s the love of Duran’s life. Too bad their relationship is underexplored and left to a quickie montage of baby-making and deliveries. That’s one of the reasons the film’s not a knockout.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 40 User Ratings
5.9
48% Positive
19 Ratings
19 Ratings
30% Mixed
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
23% Negative
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 40 User Ratings
5.9
48% Positive
19 Ratings
19 Ratings
30% Mixed
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
23% Negative
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
Wonderful, heartfelt, feel good movie about Roberto Duran and his amazing trainer. The cast is spot on and the performances are memorable. The boxing is realistic and done with such style it makes you understand what it feels to be on top of the ring. These boxers did it all for honor, country and family, and when Duran strays its his honor, his love for his country and his family what brings him back to become a champion again. Sugar Ray Leonard and Ray Arcel are both described as the gentlemen that made Boxing a true sport. Great movie, glad I saw it on the big screen.
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Hands of Stone story is exceptionally accurate and it's extraordinary characters are played by a top notched cast.
Lured by Roberto Duran's (Edgar Ramirez) raw passion as a fighter, Ray Arcel, played by a chameleonic Robert De Niro, comes back to the champ's corner after ten years forced sabbatical. Duran reluctantly accepts Arcel's guidance but quickly recognizes the old trainer's wisdom and takes it by heart, this results in an improbable win against Sugar Ray Leonard (Usher) and it is him, who will teach Duran a lesson that will make him a true champion.
Beyond the history, Duran's story is both poignant and complex, filled with amazing victories on the ring but also many defeats on his personal life. Only thru the love of his family, the respect of his foes and the guidance of his trainer is that, through defeat, he becomes a real champion.
Great Cast, Script, Photography and Production Design, spanning two decades of political turmoil Hands of Stone is hands down a movie with a heart of gold.
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The highlight is Duran and Arcel’s bonding in the corner between rounds. We’ll take more of this revealing brand of drama anytime.
Falls victim to too many trite boxing-movie clichés and is in way too much of a rush to cover too much narrative ground. It sometimes feels like you’re watching it with a finger on the fast-forward button.
In trying to squeeze a half-dozen life stories into its running time, Hands of Stone, the new film about legendary Panamanian boxer Roberto Durán, magnifies that disappointing mistake.
Trite and vulgar boxing flick.
Hands of Stone it's a love story. Duran's love for his country, Sugar Ray Leonard's love for his wife and Ray Arcel's love for Boxing. From the first frame we see how Ray (Robert DeNiro) returns to Madison Square Garden as anyone would return to see an old lover. There, Duran's savage rumble seduces him enough to risk his life to see if there's any passion left in the sport. Fortunately, Hands of Stone is on a crusade determined to show the world Panama exists as a Nation. On the other corner, Sugar Ray Leonard (played by a ripped and charismatic Usher Raymond) gets drafted in Duran and Arcel's strategy and finds himself losing against all odds. Once Sugar Ray Leonard realizes he's been outsmarted at his own game, he gracefully reclaims the belt leaving Duran as a heartbroken man. Pushed by his beautiful wife and sobered up when Panama's beloved president is assassinated, Duran finds strength in his roots and becomes a true hero to his nation, this time helped not by his mentor but by his old time foe. Go see it, this is as close as any boxing film can get to true life.
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I didn't know Ropert Duran before, coz i am not fan of boxing, but i enjoy in the film, the only difference between it and Creed is the marketing. The performance also was great from all cast.
if you want to know who is Duran, you can watch the film in 2 hours and you will know one of the greatest boxers in history.
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Since I bet on the "no mas" fight, and lost, this was interesting to see what went on behind the scenes. To see where and how Roberto grew up was very interesting, similar to boxers in every country. I had forgotten he made a comeback and became a champion again. The movie itself was okay, the story much better.
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I'm probably going to write a short review because I pretty much forgot what happened in this film. It is much more forgettable than it sounds and should sound on paper.
Hands of Stone, though having glimmers of great possibilities, fails it all in a run-of-the-mill, based-on-a-true-story movie that moves pretty slowly without much to focus on. Its characters are hollow (though in reality, they most likely weren't) and boxing movies like Southpaw prove that its narrative is cliché.
I will barely grant this major letdown a seal of expendability, but for a lack of a better suggestion, go watch Creed instead. Even if for me Creed isn't as great as many people think, it's way better and less disinteresting than this.
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It's no Raging Bull, and definitely not Rocky, and some elements it introduces work. But altogether, Hands Of Stone feels unfinished, over sexualized and not brutal enough. The fights lack the "oomph" factor that we have come to expect after films like Creed and Southpaw. It has a highly predictable story as well, one that you can guess from start to finish. Robert De Niro is amazing as boxing coach Ray Arcel, but Usher and Edgar fell short of expectations. It is strictly for Duran fans or boxing enthusiasts.
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Production Company
Fuego Films,
Epicentral Studios,
La Piedra Films,
Panama Cinema,
Vertical Media,
Large Screen Cinema Productions,
Keller Edde Studios
Release Date Aug 26, 2016
Duration 1 h 51 m
Rating R
Tagline No mas. No surrender.
