Hands of Stone (2016)
Roberto Durán is, by any measure, one of the most significant boxers of the twentieth century: a ferocious, street-hardened fighter from the Chorrillo neighbourhood of Panama City who rose to become world lightweight champion in 1972 and held the belt for six and a half years before going on to capture titles at welterweight, light middleweight, and middleweight. His four fights with Sugar Ray Leonard, and particularly the infamous November 1980 rematch in which he uttered some version of the now-mythologised phrase "no más," made him a figure of genuine sporting legend, and one whose story carries with it a broader backdrop of Panamanian national identity, poverty, and the complicated politics of a country living under the long shadow of American influence. It is exactly the kind of material that should, in theory, produce a rich and substantial sports biopic.
Jonathan Jakubowicz is a Venezuelan director whose previous English-language work was relatively limited before this project, though his 2005 thriller Secuestro Express had earned him some attention on the festival circuit. Hands of Stone was a co-production spread across Panamanian and American companies, with the Weinstein Company handling distribution, and it arrived at Cannes in 2016 before a wider release that, by most commercial measures, failed to land with much force. The film draws on the documented history of Durán's career and his relationship with Ray Arcel, the veteran trainer who came out of retirement specifically to work with him. Arcel, played here by Robert De Niro, was himself a fascinating figure: a man with roots stretching back to the golden age of boxing who had been effectively blacklisted by organised crime interests for years before his unlikely late-career renaissance. De Niro, of course, has form in this particular ring, having won an Academy Award for his more menacing turns and delivered some of his most celebrated work in Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull back in 1980. Whether he can still locate that kind of register is a question the film implicitly asks of him. Also worth noting is the presence of Rubén Blades, the Panamanian salsa legend and actor, who brings genuine weight to his role, and Ana de Armas as Durán's wife Felicidad, in one of her earlier prominent English-language appearances before her profile rose considerably in subsequent years.
Edgar Ramírez, the Venezuelan actor probably best known at that point for his work in Carlos (2010), carries the physical and emotional demands of the lead role. It is no small ask: Durán across the span of this story is by turns volcanic, tender, politically conscious, and self-destructive, and the film asks Ramírez to age him credibly across several decades. Usher, in a casting choice that raised a few eyebrows, plays Sugar Ray Leonard, and acquits himself reasonably well, though his role is more functional than showstopping. As a production it is polished but unremarkable, sitting comfortably within a well-established genre tradition without doing a great deal to reshape it. Fans of the sports biopic format, and those familiar with Macca's warm appreciation for films like these (as you will know if you have read his thoughts on Grand Prix, another film built around a larger-than-life sporting figure), will arrive with a sense of what they are likely to get.
I’ll be honest, I’d never actually heard of Jonathan Jakubowicz’s Hands of Stone (2016) until I sat down to watch it, which probably explains why it flies so under the radar and holds some pretty poor ratings online. But going in with zero expectations, I actually rather enjoyed it. The film chronicles the real-life relationship between the legendary Panamanian boxer Roberto Durán and his equally iconic trainer, Ray Arcel. It’s a story about how these two fiercely stubborn men end up changing each other’s lives forever, built around the famous "No más. No surrender." mantra that defined Durán's career in the ring.
What really elevates the picture above its modest reputation is the acting. Edgar Ramírez is fantastic in the lead role, capturing the explosive, unpredictable energy of Durán perfectly. But the real revelation here is Robert De Niro as Ray Arcel. It just proves that pretty much whatever you put De Niro in these days, he can still pull out a top-tier, deeply grounded performance. He’s ably supported by the always-underrated John Turturro and a very solid turn from Ana de Armas, rounding out a genuinely decent cast that makes you care about the people inside and outside the ropes just as much as the fighters themselves.
At its core, this is absolutely a boxing fan’s movie. I’m a massive sucker for the genre (having a deep love for the likes of Raging Bull, Rocky, and Million Dollar Baby) so I was always going to be predisposed to like it.
I’ll freely admit that Hands of Stone isn't quite up to the lofty standards of those undisputed classics; the script can be a bit conventional and the pacing stumbles in the middle rounds. But if you have even a passing interest in the squared circle, you’ll probably really enjoy this. It’s a really good, hard-hitting sports biopic that punches well above its online reputation.
Hands of Stone is, then, a film that rewards a certain kind of patience and a willingness to meet it on its own terms rather than hold it against the very best the genre has produced. It is not a film that reinvents anything, and its mixed reception is not entirely undeserved, but dismissing it outright would mean missing some genuinely strong performances and a story that deserves to be better known outside boxing circles. De Niro in particular serves as a reminder that the right material can still draw something memorable from him, as anyone who has followed his more recent output, including Macca's review of Little Fockers, will appreciate as a point of contrast. Durán's life was too large and too complicated to be fully contained in 111 minutes, and the film knows it, which perhaps explains why it feels slightly winded by the final bell. But a film that leaves you wanting more of its subject is, in its own modest way, doing something right.
Rating: ★★★½ | Year: 2016 | Watched: 2026-06-19
Trailer
▶ Watch the official trailer for Hands of Stone (2016) on YouTube
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