“Precisely because it lacks bombast — not to mention cheap sentiment, cant and pretension — The Boxer makes its mark as a quietly powerful contender.”
Daniel Day-Lewis stars as Danny, a boxer and former IRA member, whose attempts to "go straight" after his release from prison are complicated by his past affiliations in Belfast - especially those concerning old flame, Maggie (Emily Watson) - who also happens to be the daughter of local IRA commander, Joe (Brian Cox). With great support from Ken Stott, Gerard McSorley and Kenneth Cranham, and directed by Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father) The Boxer is a grim-but-gripping look at the increase of splinter groups within the IRA and the fragility of establishing any kind of lasting peace in Northern Ireland.
