Robert De Nirohasn’t set foot in the ring in more than a decade. That much he says in the newHands of Stonetrailer, and if we disregard his stint inGrudge MatchwithSylvester Stallone, it’s also true of his career — De Niro starred in the boxing movie of all boxing movies,Martin Scorsese’sRaging Bull, in 1980.
What brings him back as trainer Ray Arcel this time isEdgar Ramirez, playing promising Panamanian fighterRoberto Duran. He needs to be whipped into shape for a match againstSugar Ray Leonard(by way ofUsher).Hands of Stoneis the story of how this athlete entered the sport at the age of 16, battled Leonard in 1980 to become the WBC welterweight, and their rematch.
Watch the trailer below.
The film is written and directed byJonathan Jakubowicz, whose last feature film was 2005’sSecuestro express, a Venezuelan crime-drama.John Turturro,Ana de Armas, andEllen Barkinalso feature among the cast.
We’ve seen a solid amount of boxing movies in recent years, includingSouthpaw. Although theJake Gyllenhaalvehicle was once dubbed as an early awards contender, the critical reception was lackluster and stopped its Oscar prospects in its tracks. ThenCreedcame along. In addition to a Golden Globe win and Oscar nomination for Stallone, theRyan Cooglerfilm was universally hailed as one of the best nostalgic sequels (or whatever you want to call the trend).
It’s here, in the post-Creedera, where he findHands of Stone. Much like the character at the center of the story, the film itself has a high bar to reach.
Hands of Stonewill hit theaters on August 26. Here’s the official synopsis:
HANDS OF STONE follows the life of Roberto Duran (Edgar Ramirez), the Panamanian fighter who made his professional debut in 1968 as a 16 year-old and retired in 2002 at the age of 50. In June 1980, he defeated Sugar Ray Leonard (Usher Raymond) to capture the WBC welterweight title, but shocked the boxing world by returning to his corner in their November rematch, famously saying the words “no mas” (no more).
