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Trailer for Hands of Stone, starring Robert De Niro, Edgar Ramirez and Usher Raymond.
Hands of Stone follows the life of Roberto Duran (Edgar Ramirez), the Panamanian fighter who made his professional debut in 1968 as a 16 year-old and retired in 2002 at the age of 50. In June 1980, he defeated Sugar Ray Leonard (Usher Raymond) to capture the WBC welterweight title, but shocked the boxing world by returning to his corner in their November rematch, famously saying the words "no mas" (no more.)
The sport biopic was filmed in Panama, the same place where Roberto Duran grew up.
Robert De Niro seems to have a thing for boxing movies. Hands of Stone is his fourth after Raging Bull, Night and the City and Grudge Match. Though that doesn't mean he was the first choice for the part. Director Jonathan Jakubowicz first approached Al Pacino to play the role of Ray Arcel, who at first accepted, but quickly exited the production.
Though sports biopics are typically not my thing, there is a lot to like in the trailer for Hands of Stone. While the quality of Robert De Niro's roles have been mixed at best of recent, this feature shows a quality far above his recent average. Throw in Edgar Ramirez, who I love to see on screen, and you can expect top notch acting from our lead. But the real surprise is Usher, who seems to steal the spotlight every time he appears on screen. Yes, he plays the antagonist, but Usher looks made for Hollywood and the silver screen.
In the end, The Weinstein Company knows who they have to sell, people who like boxing biopics. After a teaser and now a full trailer did they get the job done? You tell me.