I was looking forward to this film as I am a fan of boxing history and British history in general. In addition, I love the big fella Russell Crowe and it was great to see Jodhi May back on screen again as she is immensely talented and the last time I saw her was 1990 in the Last of the Mohicans. Unfortunately though, I should have gone in expecting disappointment, because this movie really fell short of the mark in pretty much every way. It felt inauthentic, from the dialogue (basic, at times cringe, I very much doubt that Ray Winstone's brand of Cockney-isms would have been in use then) to the stereotypical generic upper class toff villain. Also, how can people living in the early 1800s have such good skincare? These moans aside, the film felt rushed, there was hardly any middle, and as a result there was no real bridge between beginning and ending, leaving very little character development/viewer engagement and the whole thing utterly disjointed. You can't make a grand stand finish work if there is no momentum to precede it.
