Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Hands of Stone Blu-ray Movie Review

"Manos de Piedra."

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 28, 2016

Rather than take the shape of the prototypical "inspirational sports" film, Director Jonathan Jakubowicz's Hands of Stone is instead something more along the lines of a semi-gritty character portrait of a complicated man who rose from raw powerhouse to national icon and fell from the heights of acclaimed champion to a shell of a fighter who walked away from the biggest fight of his life. Intimately insightful, well made, and nicely acted, the film has all of the necessary ingredients in place to succeed. It finds success, generally, though it struggles to forge the sort of fiercely independent identity a movie like this demands to rise through the ranks and stand taller than the plethora of like films that dot the cinematic landscape. Ultimately, it's a dramatically detailed but narratively utilitarian movie that satisfies the needs of its material but fails to find a greater resonance beyond its basic set-up, development, and resolution.

Roberto Durán (Édgar Ramírez) is a fighter. He has been since a young age. He's winning, and convincingly so, on big stages, but he's raw. The Panamanian boxer is introduced to longtime (and semiretired) trainer Ray Arcel (Robert De Niro). Durán hesitates to work with Arcel, but the relationship does build and Durán becomes a champion. As he rises in the ranks, he meets, falls for, and weds Felicidad (Ana de Armas) and begins a rivalry with fellow fighter Sugar Ray Leonard (Usher) that will both make and break his career.

Hands of Stone is strong enough to carry its character's burdens and explore his life and legacy to satisfaction, but beyond the veil of its interesting subject is a movie that cannot escape its basic, unimaginative presentation and 12 rounds of sports movie cliché. Certainly, its subject is worthy of inspection. Born into and set against a politically charged backdrop with historical class and ethnic components, the framework is in place to explore a character whose life ultimately proved more interesting outside the ring than inside of it, a life outside that would come to shape his most famous moment when, in the fight of his life, he turned his back on his opponent, said "no mas," and walked away from his career. But everything else in the movie amounts to little of structural or dramatic interest. It maneuvers through the basic mentor-pupil machinations, crudely explores a cut-rate romantic tale, and can't find much interest in the business end of boxing, even as some of the most famous names and faces from the sport's illustrious history appear in key and supportive roles throughout. Jakubowicz covers his bases, but he does so methodically and without much of a sense of imaginative structure or compelling delivery.

The movie is technically well made, particularly in the ring where fights feel violent and intimately so. Audiences will practically feel the blows and become all but doused by the sweat. Recreations of key historical moments are impressively staged and reconstructed (it's fun to compare them to the real video highlights; a picture-in-picture match-up would have made for a great supplement for a movie like this). Performances are by-and-large excellent, with the primary cast working hard to overcome the movie's rather pedestrian cadence and reliance on cliché. They do their best to find the meat and chew it as best they can. De Niro may not deliver a career-defining performance, but he still looks natural in and around the ring, this time playing an aging, once-retired trainer who devotes his life to molding the would-be champion. Usher is exceptionally good as Sugar Ray Leonard, finding a voice and personality for the character that steals the show while helping to define his opponent and the movie's subject. Édgar Ramirez impresses as Durán, doing his best to explore the troubled soul on both sides of the ring and find the real individual beyond the gloves and trunks.

Hands of Stone Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Hands of Stone looks fine on Blu-ray, with a few caveats. Source noise can spike with occasional bursts of thickness that reaches a level of annoyance, particularly in lower light scenes. Banding is a much smaller and barely noticeable concern. The digital video source is a little flat, and edges of the frame occasionally appear smudgy rather than sharp. Flesh tones range from pasty to warm. That said, the image generally impresses. The digital shoot does allow for a fairly rich color palette, occasionally feeling a little dull and diluted -- all the yellow in the Madison Square Garden locker room near the beginning a good example -- but finding a more vibrantly sustained feel elsewhere, whether out on the streets of Panama or in the boxing ring. Detail satisfies, with skin textures appearing nicely intimate and clothing textures sharp and naturally complex. Black levels hold deep and accurate. It's not the most impressive image on the market, but Anchor Bay's transfer certainly gets the job done.

Hands of Stone Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Hands of Stone's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is certainly not timid. It's very aggressive and loud, perhaps lacking finesse at its most vigorous but offering enough sonic activity to satisfy. Boxing matches are noticeably enthusiastic and complex, with roaring crowds, heavy punches, microphone reverberations at introduction, and chatter in the corners between rounds all vying for attention but with the most critical pieces always finding the right amount of prioritization above the din. Protests in Panama are likewise rambunctious and filling, making use of a wide and surrounding stage to pull the listener into the mayhem. Music is aggressive, particularly some party beats in chapter ten. Tunes regularly spill into the back but always maintain a command of balance throughout. Dialogue is clear and front-center focused.

Hands of Stone Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Hands of Stone contains a featurette, deleted scenes, and two lyric videos. A UV digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Roberto Durán: A Boxing Legend, a Nation's Pride (1080p, 23:33): This catchall piece looks at the characters, the history, the movie's cultural and societal themes, plot analysis, Durán's influences, actor preparations for the roles, making the boxing scenes, and more.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 10:42 total runtime): Ray Arcel's Introduction, Duran's Family; Ray and Stephanie; NYC Taxi Ride; Eleta Calls Arcel; Soldiers Tease Felicidad; Durán Fights Soldiers and Leans on Chaplain; Durán Visits Felicidad; and Party After "No Más".
• Lyric Video (1080p, 2:26): "Champions" Featuring Usher.
• Lyric Video (1080p, 2:32): "Champions" Featuring Ruben Blades.

Hands of Stone Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Hands of Stone satisfies its requirements, but it does so without much of a soul. It goes through the motions as it explores a character worthy of something more. The film is at its best when it's hitting the finer point character details and raw emotions, but it struggles with its broader narrative components that feel more obligatorily inserted rather than intimately detailed and explored. Performances, however, are good, and the fight scenes are very well composed and executed. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of Hands of Stone delivers good video, very aggressive audio, and a couple of extras, including a catchall featurette and a handful of deleted scenes. Rent it.