Jawbone

Johnny Harris revitalises the British boxing film with this grippingly authentic ringside saga starring Ray Winstone and Ian McShane.

Jimmy McCabe (Johnny Harris), a former youth boxing champion, has lost his way. After hitting rock bottom, he turns to his childhood trainer and gym owner (Ray Winstone) to help him get back on his feet just enough to get into the ring one last time. Past his prime, and with the odds stacked against him, McCabe risks his life to regain his place in the world.

Despite a plot that ticks all of boxing cinema's expected boxes, Jawbone is a thoroughly gripping addition to the genre, dripping with the sweat-worn authenticity of writer-star Johnny Harris' script, hewn from his own years on the youth circuit. Director Thomas Napper brings all the craft honed on years working second unit for Joe Wright (Anna Karenina, Atonement), bringing the best out of a marvellously grizzled cast including Ian McShane and Michael Smiley, all set to a remarkable score from Paul Weller.