Prison dramas can either be endlessly optimistic and unrelentingly bleak, and while 2017’s A Prayer Before Dawn spends a lot of its time entrenched firmly in the latter camp, it’s still a stunning retelling of a harrowing true-life tale.
English boxer Billy Moore ended up being arrested and incarcerated in Thailand after being charged with possession of stolen goods and a firearm, plunging the drug-addicted pugilist into one of the world’s toughest prisons for the duration of his sentence. Seeking redemption while trying to survive his unforgiving surroundings, he puts his skills to use in a series of Muay Thai tournaments.
Anchored by a phenomenal performance from Joe Cole, A Prayer Before Dawn won exactly the kind of rave reviews you’d expect from a biographical story backed by A24, with a Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes score of 92 percent fully deserved. It’s not an easy watch, with the brutal brawls and nightmarish scenes of drug withdrawal difficult to sit through, but director Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire renders you unable to look away.
The very definition of a hidden gem, A Prayer Before Dawn went largely unnoticed during its original release, but has managed to make a comeback on streaming this week. Per FlixPatrol, the haunting tale of Moore’s three-year stint behind bars has emerged as one of the most-watched features on ViaPlay, and it’s well recommended for those who favor unflinching realism in their narratives ripped right from the headlines and taken to the screen in expertly-crafted style that fittingly doesn’t pull a single one of its punches.
Published: Apr 25, 2023 01:34 am