Based on the true story of the Roberto Duran, a well known courageous boxer, who does his best and faces many challenges in his way to fame till he becomes one of the figures in boxing.
There are some engaging asides about Arcel's struggles with boxing's dirty underbelly, but they feel like they belong to a different movie. (De Niro's superfluous and soporific voiceover, however, belongs in no movie whatsoever.)
Hands of Stone is a serviceable, reasonably entertaining biopic of Roberto Durán, with first rate performances that elevate it above its pedestrian execution.
"Hands of Stone" is less like a boxing flick and more like a professional wrestling battle royale with all its different subplots angling for main event status.
Although the film has all the ingredients of a boxing drama, the editing isn't interesting and only offers a set of irregular images. [Full review in Spanish]
All this cacophony of backstory ends up being counterproductive, especially when the film tries to convey what makes this fighter worthy of tribute (or forgiveness or reconsideration, depending on your perspective).
