Jawbone (2017)

A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

All that we are seeing on the screen is happening with real people, real action sequences in the background, forcing the eye to watch as if we were there.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Based on the lead actor's own life experiences a told to death boxing story is made with heart. The power-packed performance from all around the cast is the driving force of the film. This dark and gritty British drama has a final boxing match that has to be one of the most authentic representations of that sports in a film. Even though the story is predictable the film was able to keep me involved but still, there's nothing new in here either.

This film tells the story of a former boxing champion, who becomes an alcoholic with no life to live. He turns to underground boxing just to make some money to get by."Jawbone" is really slow in pace. The initial twenty minutes could have easily condensed into just a few scenes by showing him with a bottle of alcohol, having an argument at the council and going into an AA meeting. Instead, the story drifts slowly, meandering its way through with little things happening. It takes fifty minutes for the boxer to get an underground boxing tournament set up. I just could not get into the film, the story or the characters' shoes.

A former boxer with promise returns to his old stomping ground on the mean streets of London hoping for one last chance of success Stop me if you've heard this one before but .... what you stopped me as soon as I came to this page? Fair enough. JAWBONE is a traditional type of gritty drama of a washed out boxer trying to get his life back on track. If you're expecting the big budget feel good Hollywood factor try somewhere else because this is a gloomy British movie Actually this is maybe a little bit too gloomy. It's got that British independent feel. It's well made where the social realism shines through but it's not a film where you walk out of the cinema clicking your heels. On top of that unlike a lot of boxing films you've seen from ROCKY to RAGING BULL director Thomas Napper ensures that if you're hit with a high velocity fist then it will hurt and cut you One minor complaint is that some people be fooled in to watching a film starring Winstone and McShane and there can't be a single movie in Britain who doesn't love these two legends but the reality is their parts are minor with McShane literally appearing in one walk on scene . Instead it's Johnny Harris as boxer Jimmy and Michael Smiley who carry the film. Smiley in particular is very good but the story is one you've seen before

Imagine if you can that Mike Leigh or Ken Loach decided to do a boxing film then Jawbone wouldn't be too far away from they would come up with and that is by no means a criticism in fact I really liked this. This is the story of a former youth boxing champion Jimmy McCabe who, after hitting rock bottom, returns to his childhood boxing club and his old team, gym owner Bill and corner man Eddie but to make ends meet he agree to take an unlicensed fight against someone much bigger and younger than himself. This film is not so much about boxing but about the struggle against alcoholism. Johnny Harris is brilliant and the troubled fighter and genuinely looks like he can box. There isn't a bad performance in this film. Ray Winstone and Ian McShane do what they do best and Michael Smiley is great also. If I has to pick a hole in this film and believe me it's hard . its that the person they got to be Jimmy's opponent didn't look like he knew how to box despite being ripped. Overall though a very good film.