The film opens with Duran as a poor kid in Panama, stealing mangoes to feed his family and fighting in the streets for money.
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De Niro portrays retired trainer Ray Arcel, who worked with many notable fighters before being forced into retirement by the NY mob in the early 1950s. In the biopic, Bobby D plays Duran’s trainer Ray Arcel and fittingly, Drena plays Arcel’s daughter, Adele. Its strategy is thinly thought out – Who is Roberto Duran really, deep down? His movements are solid, punches beyond believable and effective as notable Duran bouts are recreated, leading up to the two most significant against Sugar Ray Leonard.
Guidice first fell in love with boxing when his dad took him to matches in Atlantic City.
Hands of Stone’s screenplay has some valiant moments, but a weak structure mostly undermines Duran’s terrific story.
Based on the biography by Christian Giudice, “Hands of Stone” is conventional, well told, full of intensely real fight scenes, engrossing performances and a “Raging Bull”-like romance between poor, flashily dressed young Roberto and a lovely blond rich girl named Felicidad (the stunning and talented Cuban Ana de Armas)”. Armas is given a lot to do and is as much a part of Duran’s story as his trainers and the opponents he faced. As Roberto enters his teen years, he attracts the attention of Eleta who helps turn him into a true “contender”. However, this snapshot of the champion at his most dominant and controversial affords insight into the forces that shaped Duran into the public figure he became. He’s got the physique, the bravado, and style down.
When you’re on the outside looking in – as is the case with the majority of us – it’s impossible to know what someone is going through; what truly motivates them to become who they are.
Hands of Stone, which also co-stars Robert De Niro, Ellen Barkin, and John Turturro, hits cinemas in the USA on Friday (26Aug16). Usher doesn’t miss a beat – no pun intended. If you want real boxing knowledge, look no further than this show and spread the word. Usher brilliantly uses Sugar Ray’s smile as a mask and knows exactly when to let it shine.
Where the film nails the performances, it misses out on how big the fights were. How big Duran vs. Leonard was is nearly a story itself.
Drena, whom Robert adopted in 1976, certainly isn’t star struck by her famous father, but she understands why many people idolize him.
By the time he retired in 2002, Roberto would also hold the world welterweight, light middleweight and middleweight titles. The film missed the mark on having a momentous third act that could’ve really put the movie over the top.
The boxing scenes are also frustrating – especially after the pioneering ring work in last year’s superb “Creed”. Nothing exceptional happens, but it’s enough to keep audiences entertained. Duran isn’t interested at first – he hates the United States for what it’s done to his country.
For someone who is regarded as a national hero in Panama, “Hands of Stone”, which bills itself as the biggest film ever produced in that nation, treats its subject pretty shabbily.
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The WBA president then presented each of the stars of the film with a mini black and gold belt, a symbol of the integrity and sincerity of the oldest professional governing body in boxing.
