Review by
Eric Hillis
Directed by: Christopher M. Anthony
Starring: Jordan Bolger, Jason Isaacs, Nicholas Pinnock, Jamie Bamber, Sienna Guillory, Blake
Harrison
Like the recent Irish movie Swing Bout, writer/director Christopher M. Anthony's Heavyweight is a British boxing drama that doesn't actually feature any
boxing. Instead, like Swing Bout, its narrative is set almost exclusively in a locker room. In
something close to real time we spend 90 minutes with a fighter and his
team as they prepare for the big bout.
Where Swing Bout was centred on the old cliché of whether a fighter will agree to
take a fall in a rigged fight, Heavyweight eschews such cheap melodrama. The stakes here are relatively low,
though not for the people involved. Veteran coach Adam (Nicholas Pinnock) has staked his reputation on Derek (Jordan Bolger), a
relatively untested young fighter who has found himself presented with
the opportunity to compete against the world heavyweight champ, two
other boxers having pulled out of the contest.
Unlike most boxing dramas, the central hook of Heavyweight isn't centred on whether Derek can win the fight, but rather if
he can get his head in the right place to even compete. It's a film that
highlights how so much of being a professional athlete is not only
physical but psychological. Over the movie's tense run time various
demons work their way into Derek's head, threatening to leave him in no
frame of mind to compete. His older brother fails to show up, having
promised he'd be in his corner. He learns that his long time sparring
partner (Osy Ikhile) is now working for the rival camp. In a
moment of rash anger he punches a mirror, scarring his knuckles in a way
that could see the fight called off if Adam and his cut man (Barry Aird) can't hide the wound from the boxing authorities.
Spending 90 minutes in the close company of a boxer as he awaits the
moment that could define his life proves an intensely stressful
experience. You'll have a newfound appreciation for athletes as you
question whether you could hold up under such pressure. Whether you're a
fan of boxing or not is irrelevant, as you'll likely relate to this
pot-boiling scenario in your own way. Most of us have found ourselves in
Derek's position at some point, faced with a key moment to prove
ourselves but haunted by demons telling us we're not good enough.
Out of the various characters it's Adam who emerges as the key figure.
He's the one responsible for getting Derek to this stage, and he's
ultimately the only one who can convince the young fighter he's worthy
of this shot. Heavyweight never takes us into the ring, but Pinnock and Bolger go the full
12 rounds in a gripping thespian bout. Anthony's fluid direction ensures
the film never feels stagey but he avoids any distracting camera
trickery. His best asset here is Pinnock's face, the actor subtly
telling us more about Adam and his journey than any flashbacks or
lengthy monologues might. The story is essentially told on Pinnock's
face, his expressions a barometer of Adam's confidence in getting Derek
ready to make history. It's Adam we root for more so than his fighter.
We suspect Derek will have other opportunities, but for Adam this seems
like his last chance to prove his worth as a coach. It's a relief that
we don't see the actual fight, as after 90 nerve-racking minutes of
locker room politics and psychology it would surely prove an extra level
of stress we couldn't possibly handle.
Heavyweight is on UK/ROI VOD
now.