Detailed item info | Movie description | Daniel Day-Lewis stars in this searing portrait of 1990s Belfast ripped apart by 20 years of religious conflict and IRA violence. Danny Flynn (Day-Lewis), a repentant IRA operative seasoned by a 14-year prison term, returns to the neighborhood of his childhood to try to rebuild his life. A prizefighter in his youth, he teams up with his old trainer (Ken Stott) to reopen a nonsectarian boxing gym in a bombed-out community center. Meanwhile, Danny finds himself undeniably drawn to his old girlfriend Maggie (Emily Watson), who is now married to his former best friend, an imprisoned IRA member. Maggie's father, Joe Hamil (Brian Cox), the head of the local IRA chapter, is attempting to negotiate an IRA cease-fire, causing extreme tension between IRA factions with opposing views. Danny and Maggie's rekindled love, which defies the IRA rule promising death for anyone having an affair with an imprisoned operative's wife, thrusts Danny straight into the center of the erupting tensions. Irish director Jim Sheridan and British actor Daniel Day-Lewis (who worked together on IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER and MY LEFT FOOT) once again team up with wondrous results, creating a vivid and captivating portrait of an Ireland intimately torn by ancient religious strife.
| | Credits | | Producer: | Arthur Lappin, Jim Sheridan | | Cast: | Andrea Irvine, Brian Cox, Brian Milligan, Britta Smith, Carol Scanlon, Catherine Dunne, Ciaran Fitzgerald, Clayton Stewart, Damien Denny, Daniel Day-Lewis, David McBlain, Derbhla McClelland, Don Foley, Eleanor Methven, Emily Watson, Frank Coughlan, Gavin Kennedy, Gerard McSorley, Ian McElhinney, Jack Waters, Joan McGarry, Joan Sheehy, John Cowley, John Sheridan, John Wall, Joseph Rea, Kate Perry, Ken Stott, Kenneth Cranham, Larry Byrne, Lorraine Pilkington, Mark Mulholland, Martin Dunne, Martin Lynch, Niall Shanahan, Nye Heron, Oliver Maguire, Pat Mulyran, Paul Ronan, Paul Sheridan, Peter O'Donoghue, Peter Sheridan, Sean Donaghy, Sean Kearns, Sharon Dunne, Theresa McComb, Tim McDonnell, Tommy O'Neill |
| | Details | | Sound: | HiFi Sound, Stereo Sound, Surround Sound |
| | Notes | Theatrical release: December 19, 1997.
This film marks the third partnership of Irish director Jim Sheridan and British actor Daniel Day-Lewis, who previously worked together in MY LEFT FOOT (1989) and IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER (1993).
| | Editorial reviews | "...A haunting love story....[Day-Lewis and Watson] ignite so combustibly that you can't fail to be moved..."
Rolling Stone - Peter Travers (01/22/1998)
"...Quietly intense performances from Day-Lewis and Emily Watson....Brilliant cinematography..."
Sight and Sound - Geoffrey Macnab (03/01/1998)
"...[THE BOXER] has an attractive star pairing and an uncommon sports dimension..." -- 3 out of 4 stars
USA Today - Mike Clark (12/31/1997)
"...Tender, wrenching....Reflective and mature....[A] fine, galvanizing film..."
New York Times - Janet Maslin (12/31/1997)
"...Thoughtful....The interdependence of personal and political issues is deftly drawn..."
Box Office - Kim Williamson (02/01/1998)
"...[Sheridan] has elicited two of Day-Lewis's best performances; look for this hearty Irish stew of a movie to serve up another helping..."
Premiere - Christine Spines (01/01/1998)
"...Day-Lewis and Watson are smart actors playing smart people..."
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (01/09/1998)
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