Roberto Durán was the pride of Panama and a champion in four different weight classes. Edgar Ramirez is one of the brightest international stars, capable of being alternately menacing, suave and tender. On paper, this should be a perfect match. Unfortunately, Hands of Stone does nothing to distinguish itself from dozens of other boxing movies.
Part of the problem is the film lacks focus. It's ostensibly about Durán and his rags-to-riches story, but the film also wants to tell the story of trainer Ray Arcel (played well by Robert De Niro). While Arcel trained hundreds of fighters, including several world champions, this isn't supposed to be his story. His troubles with the mob and his drug-addicted daughter are completely irrelevant to Durán's life. His life may be worth examining, but there's already a bigger story unfolding.
Writer-director Jonathan Jakubowicz also wants to give us a history lesson on the strife of Panama. That, too, is worthy of a film, but a film on its own. This is supposed to inform us of Durán's worldview, particularly his distrust of Americans – who occupied parts of the country until 1999 – but it feels like another distraction.
Individually, there are some great scenes, particularly his interactions with Sugar Ray Leonard (Usher, never better). But overall Hands of Stone fails to make us understand why Durán was such a legendary fighter and larger-than-life figure. It's all stuff we've seen before: the training montage, the rapid rise to fame, the fights with his wife, the distrust of his lifelong friends, the inevitable decline and comeback.
If Hands of Stone had focused, or at least shown some originality or dynamic style, it would have stood out from the pack, just like Roberto Durán. Instead, it just lays there on the mat.
