Hands of Stone

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jonathan Jakubowicz directs. M.I. Littin-Menz behind the camera. Ethan Maniquis cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Panama, United States of America. Dialogue in Spanish, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 1Earned back only 25% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
• 2Released 10 years ago.
• 3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Spanish, English.
• 4International production across 2 countries: Panama, United States of America.
• 5Directed by Jonathan Jakubowicz, shot by M.I. Littin-Menz. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 6Editor Ethan Maniquis shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 7Edgar Ramírez and Robert De Niro and Usher carry the top of the cast.
• 8Marketing tagline: "No más. No surrender.".
• 9IMDB entry: tt1781827 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography

M.I. Littin-Menz

Editing

Ethan Maniquis

Production design

Tomas Voth

Costume design

Bina Daigeler

Makeup / hair

Scott Wheeler

Stunt coordinator

Rick Avery

Runtime

111 min · 1h 51m

Aspect ratio (typical)

1.37:1 (Academy)

Status

Released

Budget

$20,000,000

Box office

$5,000,000

Return

25% of budget

Original language

EN

Certification (US)

R

IMDB

Hands of Stone (2016) ↗

Also by

Jonathan Jakubowicz

• 
  Resistance

  2020 · ★ 7.0
• 
  Secuestro Express

  2004 · ★ 6.3
• 
  Soul of a Nation

  2025

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper Wallpaper Wallpaper Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  Official Trailer

  Trailer

Community reviews

What people are saying

• Reno2016-11-23
  ★ 7/10

  Some people are so tough, because that's how they grew up! A biographical sports film directed by some Venezuelan filmmaker and actor Edgar Ramirez in the lead with De Niro in a supporting role. This is the story of a famous boxer from Panama, Roberto Duran. Takes place during the 1980s, when protest was intensified to free Panama canal from the US control. Duran was interested in boxing since he was a little and then he was helped by a local small time coach. But when his professional fight begins to take off big, he required someone who can handle him at the big stages. So that's where a former American boxer comes in and what happens between them, followed by how Duran's life turns out is what covered in the rest. Biographies are always good to watch. Sometimes it inspires, how those persons struggled to achieve something big. But this film was just okay, similar to most of the sports films. I did not dislike the story, I did not like how it was made. All I wanted was a better screenplay and it kind of failed on that part. The actors are the best thing in this. Both De Niro and Ramirez were decent, though expected big. Those 80s atmospheres were so good, but the stunt choreography was average. As based on a real person, it is a good film, though watching it for entertainment is a little disappointment. Overall, definitely worth a try. 7/10

  Read full review ↓
• The Movie Mob2022-11-20
  ★ 6/10

  Hands of Stone tells an interesting story with solid performances but doesn’t pull all its elements together for a satisfying final result. Hands of Stone is a little-known historical drama focusing on renowned boxer Roberto Duran with a solid cast, including an early in her Hollywood career, Ana de Armas. While well-done and well-acted, it still struggles to satisfy. Its most significant barrier would be the decisions and attitude of the main character. Duran is portrayed as incredibly brash and selfish, making his rival a more sympathetic character. Usher’s performance as Sugar Ray only furthered my support of his character. In addition, there is a surprising amount of sex and nudity in the film that constantly distracts from the story and character development. That said, the story is fascinating and had me googling to see what actually happened between Duran and Leonard. Ramirez poured a lot of heart and effort into his performance, making Hands of Stone take a step from mediocre to decent. Unfortunately, Hands of Stone didn’t make it good or excellent.

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• LA

  La Piedra Films

• FU

  Fuego Films

• EP

  Epicentral Studios

  US

• 

  The Weinstein Company

  US

• KE

  Keller Entertainment Group

Key crew

• EditorEthan Maniquis
• Stunt CoordinatorRick Avery
• Second Unit DirectorRick Avery
• Executive ProducerHarvey Weinstein
• Executive ProducerBob Weinstein
• MusicAngelo Milli
• Unit ManagerBernardo Kenny
• Supervising Sound EditorPaula Fairfield
• Makeup Department HeadScott Wheeler
• Key Makeup ArtistAshlyn McIntyre
• Set DecorationDenise Camargo
• Costume DesignBina Daigeler
• CastingCathy Sandrich Gelfond
• CastingAmanda Mackey
• Art DirectionLisa Vasconcellos
• Production DesignTomas Voth
• Makeup SupervisorYinoris Oporta
• Key Hair StylistManolo García
• First Assistant DirectorFrederic Henocque
• Second Assistant DirectorCecilia de las Barreras
• Supervising Sound EditorJill Purdy
• Stunt DoubleKhalid Ghajji
• StuntsBrian Burkhardt
• Fight ChoreographerRobert Sale

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• boxing

Release history · US

When it landed

• Theatrical2016-08-26R
• Physical2016-11-22R· Blu-ray / DVD

Also known as

International titles

• Manos de PiedraPA
• Юмруци от камъкBG
• Ruke od kamenaHR
• Руки из камняRU
• Hands Of Stone - Fäuste aus SteinDE
• Hands of Stone: Μαζί ως την ΚορυφήGR
• 顽石之拳CN
• 光荣擂台CN