Considering the abundance of compelling angles to choose from both inside and outside the boxing ring, it’s disappointing that Hands of Stone treats its true-life subject matter with kid gloves.
This wildly unfocused biopic of legendary Panamanian fighter Roberto Duran hits the highlights of his life and career without offering much depth or context outside of what fans likely already know.
The film tracks Duran’s illiterate upbringing in the slums of Panama and his gravitation toward the boxing ring, which led to a hard-hitting style and launched his professional career as a teenager during the late 1960s.
As he experiences success, Duran (Edgar Ramirez) falls under the tutelage of Ray Arcel (Robert De Niro), an aging but legendary trainer whose calm demeanor is opposite of Duran’s brash showmanship. Arcel mentors Duran to more success, leading up to his infamous title win against rival Sugar Ray Leonard (Usher Raymond) in 1980 in Montreal, followed by the rematch a few months later in New Orleans, during which Duran famously said “no mas” in the eighth round.
The screenplay by Venezuelan director Jonathan Jakubowicz (Secuestro Express) keeps throwing narrative punches without landing much of an impact. It vacillates between a chronological rehash of Duran’s rise to fame with a number of subplots of varying consequence — a backdrop of political unrest in Panama that fueled his animosity toward the United States since childhood, Duran’s sometimes volatile family life, Arcel’s reluctance to return to the ring because of a past debt, Arcel’s own personal demons that threaten his marriage, and even Leonard’s life away from the ring.
Jakubowicz competently stages the fight sequences using close-ups and quick cuts, although the film cops out during the legendary “No Mas” battle with Leonard by not offering any significant insight.
The thought of seeing De Niro in yet another boxing movie should entice some, and his performance brings emotional complexity to an otherwise formulaic role as an aging trainer. Likewise, Ramirez infuses his portrayal of Duran with the type of charisma and passion that allowed his subject’s career in the ring to span more than three decades. Their rapport conveys a touching father-son quality.
However, in terms of its storytelling, Hands of Stone could use less power and more finesse. With the bar raised in a crowded genre, the result too often pulls its punches.
