The Boxer

Set in Belfast, The Boxer centres on Danny Flynn, a former IRA member who leaves prison after fourteen years and returns to his working-class neighbourhood. He had left behind his family and Maggie, the girlfriend he knew as a teenager. Now he tries to rebuild a life as a boxer and opens a gym where he trains young fighters, refusing to let politics or religion decide who is welcome. Maggie, meanwhile, has married a man who is himself imprisoned and is raising a teenage son. The two are drawn back to each other, and the old loyalties and suspicions of the community close in around Danny's attempt at a fresh start.

Jim Sheridan directed the film and wrote the screenplay with Terry George; the two had previously worked together on In the Name of the Father, released four years earlier. The Boxer was Sheridan's fifth feature, following My Left Foot, The Field, In the Name of the Father and before In America. Daniel Day-Lewis plays Danny, Emily Watson plays Maggie, and Brian Cox, Ken Stott and Gerard McSorley appear among the thirty-seven credited cast members. Arthur Lappin and Sheridan produced.

The film took about 17 million dollars worldwide and runs 114 minutes. On IMDb it holds a critics' rating of 7.2/10 from 72 reviews, while on TMDB it has a rating of 6.7/10 from roughly 320 votes, so the professional response was somewhat warmer than the audience one.