75
Metascore
19 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100San Francisco ChronicleEdward GuthmannSan Francisco ChronicleEdward GuthmannIt's a tribute to Day-Lewis that he can play a character like Danny -- cautious, withdrawn, inarticulate -- and endow him an eloquence and grace that aren't dependent on language. Without him, The Boxer might still be a powerful tale of loyalty and love, with a core of moral complexity; with Day-Lewis in the lead, it approaches greatness.
- 90The A.V. ClubKeith PhippsThe A.V. ClubKeith PhippsThrough quietly fiery performances by Day-Lewis and Watson, as well as novel-like depth and complexity, The Boxer not only avoids these pitfalls but emerges as a thoroughly engrossing movie.
- 83Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumWriter-director Jim Sheridan, co-screenwriter Terry George, and Sheridan's favorite actor (and Oscar winner for My Left Foot) Daniel Day-Lewis reunite in The Boxer with a mellower political message that translates, roughly, into ''Can't we all just get along?''
- 80SalonCharles TaylorSalonCharles TaylorIn some ways, this is the most conventional of Sheridan's movies. But it never feels sentimental because of the grittiness of his approach.
- 78Austin ChronicleRussell SmithAustin ChronicleRussell SmithDirector Jim Sheridan, who has collaborated with writer Terry George on In the Name of the Father and Some Mother's Son clearly understands the weariness that inevitably consumes not only long, seemingly irresolvable conflicts but stories about them.
- 75ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliThe two actors, Daniel Day-Lewis and Emily Watson (Breaking the Waves), give such forceful performances and interact so well that it's impossible not to be mesmerized by their interaction.
- 70Dallas ObserverPeter RainerDallas ObserverPeter RainerIt can't compare to what might have been: a full-scale performance by Daniel Day-Lewis as an Irish raging bull--a rebel with a cause. There are still traces of greatness in what he attempts, and it's more than enough to make the movie worth a lingering look.
- 70NewsweekDavid AnsenNewsweekDavid AnsenWhat holds the movie together is the fiercely self-contained commitment of Day-Lewis's performance and the palpable chemistry between him and Watson.
- 60Chicago ReaderLisa AlspectorChicago ReaderLisa AlspectorAs personal and political agendas mix, with deadly results, director Jim Sheridan parallels the moderated violence of boxing with the unchecked violence of terrorism.
- 50San Francisco ExaminerBarbara ShulgasserSan Francisco ExaminerBarbara ShulgasserMost disappointing is the fact that the movie ends so abruptly that you can't help wondering what the whole story amounts to, moving as it is.