Risen tells the true story of Welsh boxer Howard Winstone. In the 1950s, miner’s son Winstone began to gain renown for his particularly powerful right hand; then, in a cruelly ironic accident, he caught this hand in a machine whilst working at the local toy factory, losing three fingertips in the process.
Though Winstone thought he’d never fight again, the support of his father and his trainer encouraged him to develop a new technique, and despite his considerable disadvantage, he ended up winning 83 of his 86 amateur fights, turning pro and becoming a genuine contender for the title of Featherweight Champion of the World.
An inspirational ‘against-the-odds’ story like this leads inevitably to a film biopic, and here it is. Like Rocky, The Fighter et al, Risen is as much about life outside the ring as it is about the boxing. Director Neil Jones demonstrates a clear grasp of genre convention, and the domestic dramas unfold in the style of a gentle soap opera. However, Jones doesn’t always have the confidence to let the material truly breathe – early romantic scenes are swathed in sickly soft focus, for example. Performances, too, are a little strained. Stuart Brennan doesn’t seem entirely comfortable in his role; despite an alleged five years of Method-style preparation he just doesn’t quite convince as a potential boxing champion of the world.
Far more successful are the thrilling fight scenes. Taking a cue from Raging Bull, Jones (also, impressively, acting as the film’s editor) opts to keep them very brief and visceral, using them to punctuate the movie. The scenes are lent added impact by the sporadic use of a camera attached to the boxing glove itself – a device used effectively, but thankfully sparingly, so as not to induce motion sickness in the viewer.
The film could stand to lose about 20 minutes from its running time – the dubious pleasure of surprise appearance from fast-talking Shane Ritchie as a boxing manager in the final quarter seems calculated to reignite an audience’s waning interest – but overall this is a lovingly made, pleasingly home-spun biopic.
Extras are more or less standard – deleted scenes, plus a behind-the-scenes doc which is, at five minutes, a bit insubstantial. A little more info on the man behind the story would have been good here.
Overall Verdict: An affectionate and mostly compelling account of an amateur boxer’s turbulent rise to fame.
Special Features:
BBC Wales “Behind the Scenes” Documentary
Eight Deleted Scenes
Theatrical Trailer
Music Video
Reviewer: Tom René