Parents' Guide to Hands of Stone

The outlines of Roberto Duran's life are clear to anyone who can look him up on Wikipedia; this bio-pic fills in those outlines in vivid, unmerciful color. The boxer doesn't always come off as a nice guy in Hands of Stone: The scenes in which he threatens Sugar Ray Leonard and his wife with sexual violence are horrifying, as are the scenes in which Duran menaces and harms his own wife, who disturbingly seems to respond to what looks a lot like stalking upon their first meeting. Yet Duran's story is powerfully told, with much of the story's action set in vintage Panama, a place of tin roofs and bustling markets, locals dancing to drum music and grim-faced soldiers lining up against the fence that separates U.S. territory from Panama's. Against this backdrop, Duran's machismo and violence makes sense: It was either fight or sink into poverty.

This film will most strongly appeal, no doubt, to boxing fans, who'll be thrilled at titles like "Duran vs. Leonard" flashing onscreen while swooping, beautiful crane shots take in the ring and the cheering, chanting crowd around it, all eyes directed on the two men in satin shorts. Duran is a complicated figure, it's true, with a complicated past that the film depicts honestly. But in the ring, he's an artist, which even non-sports fans can see.