Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher

"The birth of boxing."

2022 1h 46m EN

😐

6.1

MID

★6.1TMDB · 216

HistoryDrama

Synopsis

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At the turn of the 19th century, Pugilism was the sport of kings and a gifted young boxer fought his way to becoming champion of England.

“The birth of boxing.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Matt Hookings
Jem Belcher
Ray Winstone
Bill Warr
Jodhi May
Mary Belcher
Marton Csokas
Lord Rushworth
Russell Crowe
Jack Slack
Steven Berkoff
Walter
Julian Glover
Lord Ashford
Lucy Martin
Gilly Belcher

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Daniel Graham
Writers: Matt Hookings
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America, Malta

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 4 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America, Malta.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Daniel Graham, shot by Ben Braham Ziryab. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Paul Saunderson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jeff Cummings shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Matt Hookings and Ray Winstone and Jodhi May carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The birth of boxing.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt4471908 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Daniel Graham directs. Ben Braham Ziryab behind the camera. Paul Saunderson scores. Jeff Cummings cuts. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America, Malta. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 4 years ago.
2International production across 3 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America, Malta.
3Directed by Daniel Graham, shot by Ben Braham Ziryab. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Paul Saunderson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Jeff Cummings shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Matt Hookings and Ray Winstone and Jodhi May carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The birth of boxing.".
8IMDB entry: tt4471908 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Ben Braham Ziryab
Original score: Paul Saunderson
Editing: Jeff Cummings
Production design: Charlo Dalli
Costume design: Hayley Nebauer
Makeup / hair: Charlotte Ambrose
Runtime: 106 min · 1h 46m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $8,000,000
Original language: EN
IMDB: Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher (2022)

Also by

Daniel Graham

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-08-16
★ 5/10
Matt Hookings isn't very convincing here in this rather sketchy biopic of British boxer Jeb Belcher. On the plus side, it conveys really well the gritty side of life in Victorian Britain where the genteel, ostensibly refined, upper class routinely used the travails of the working class as a source of entertainment. This young lad finds himself trained in the school of hard knocks by Russell Crowe's "Slack" whilst being fairly shamelessly manipulated by the clever "Lord Rushworth" (an overly hammy Marton Csokas). The narrative tries quite hard to offer us a plausible series of scenarios as the young man rises from obscurity, but the production is not good. It has a "digital" look to it; there is little authentic about the style and though there is a modest amount of pugilism contained, the presence of the one-gear Ray Winstone ("Warr") adds little to this remarkably sterile period drama. The usually reliable Steven Berkoff is completely under-used, and Julian Glover's "Lord Ashford" is straight out of "For Your Eyes Only" (1981). It's a fitting topic for a biopic. The brutality not just of their chosen, bare knuckle, way out of abject poverty but also of the way in which these men were carefully exploited by others rich and poor as if they were little better than cattle is something worth laying bare. Sadly, though, Daniel Graham has focused too much on delivering a big name supporting cast and left much of the writing and character development to simmer rather than boil. This is an adequate television movie, but a real missed opportunity to depict the story of a tenacious and wily fella.

Production companies