Movie · 1997 · Drama, Romance · 1h 54m · R · English
Curator score: 6.8/10 (23.9K ratings)
Love is always worth fighting for.
Overview
Nineteen-year-old Danny Flynn is imprisoned for his involvement with the I.R.A. in Belfast. He leaves behind his family and his sixteen-year-old girlfriend, Maggie Hamill. Fourteen years later, Danny is released from prison and returns to his old working class neighborhood to resume his life as a boxer.
Ratings
Curator score: 6.8/10
IMDb: 7.0/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 80%
Metacritic: 75
TMDB: 6.7/10
Director
Jim Sheridan
Production
Universal Pictures, Hell's Kitchen
Cast
Daniel Day-Lewis, Emily Watson, Brian Cox, Ken Stott, Gerard McSorley, David Hayman, Kenneth Cranham, Lorraine Pilkington, Niall Shanahan, John Wall, Maria McDermottroe, Eleanor Methven, Ciarán Fitzgerald, Paul Ronan, Liam Carney, Veronica Duffy, Des Braiden, Joan Brosnan Walsh, Ian McElhinney, Brian Milligan
Curator Review
Verdict
A sturdy, serious drama anchored by Daniel Day-Lewis and a strong sense of place, but it’s more interested in political aftermath and damaged romance than boxing, which can leave the film feeling underpowered if you want a conventional sports story.
Best for
Viewers who like politically charged Irish dramas
Fans of restrained, character-driven performances
People interested in post-prison redemption stories
Audiences who prefer mood and moral tension over plot momentum
Skip if
You want a true boxing movie with lots of ring action
You prefer brisk pacing and clean genre focus
You’re looking for a lighter romance or an uplifting comeback story
Heavy sectarian conflict and bleak atmosphere are a turnoff
Overview
The Boxer is less a sports film than a wounded return-home drama, using boxing as a way to frame discipline, identity, and survival in a Belfast still shaped by violence. Jim Sheridan is working in familiar territory here: the costs of political conflict, the pressure of community loyalty, and the difficulty of building a private life inside a public war.
Worth noting
Daniel Day-Lewis gives the film its authority, playing Danny as a man trying to keep his head down while the past keeps pulling him back in. Emily Watson brings warmth and fragility to the romance, which gives the film its emotional center even when the script feels split between love story and political drama.
Bottom line
It doesn’t hit as hard as Sheridan’s best work, and the structure can feel a little diffuse, but there’s real value in its atmosphere and performances. If you’re in the mood for a sober, thoughtful Irish drama with bruised tenderness rather than crowd-pleasing sports beats, it’s worth a look.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Michael James (3★) · 133 likes
Daniel Day-Lewis delivers a knockout performance, lifting the otherwise mediocre Irish political slash sports drama. In a city trapped in conflict, can a man burdened by past baggages really even build a fresh peaceful life. While the emotional and political depth are impressive, the slow pacing and thematic heaviness with limited boxing scenes does take their toll. Nevertheless, it still ends up a powerful and thought provoking watch.
Wood (3★) · 132 likes
Daniel Day-Lewis is so method he spent 14 years in prison preparing for his role in this mediocre Irish drama. This didn't know if it wanted to be a boxing movie or an IRA movie and didn't have time to develop either. The Brain Cox character should have been played by Brendan Gleeson.
DrStrange110 (4★) · 113 likes
Sir DDL : *takes a deep breath*
Me : HOLY SHIT that was the most genuine method acting I've ever seen. Like, the best breath anyone has ever taken in the history of cinema. No human being has ever been this convincing taking a breath... RESPECT! THE GREATEST ACTOR EVER LIVED INDEED. ALL HAIL THE KING
Anyway... don't let the title trick you. It's definitely not a boxing movie in the first place. It's mostly a love story... and the… more
bloodbubb1e (3.5★) · 79 likes
THE BOXER is the third Jim Sheridan / Daniel Day-Lewis collaboration. Similar to The Name of the Father, it’s another bleak one set in Belfast during the conflict between the British and the Irish.
Despite its title, it’s more a drama than a traditional boxing film and at its core it’s a love story. Well acted but doesn’t pack a much of a punch compared to the previous two Oscar nominated films.
Ziglet_mir (4.5★) · 68 likes
The IRA bombings that smattered a politically charged Ireland became a pivot point for director-writer Jim Sheridan, completing an unofficial trilogy with actor Daniel Day-Lewis that includes My Left Foot, In The Name of the Father, and The Boxer. These films, more or less, are not as glamorized as Patriot Games, The Crying Game, and Blown Away even though they garnered attention at the Oscars, the former of Day-Lewis’ films made him a household name while the second one gave… more The IRA bombings that smattered a politically charged Ireland became a pivot point for director-writer Jim Sheridan, completing an unofficial trilogy with actor Daniel Day-Lewis that includes My Left Foot, In The Name of the Father, and The Boxer. These films, more or less, are not as glamorized as Patriot Games, The Crying Game, and Blown Away even though they garnered attention at the Oscars, the former of Day-Lewis’ films made him a household name while the second one gave… more