A brain-rattling boxing movie that took a critical pounding wins the big one on streaming

Even though the tropes and trappings of the boxing genre have become increasingly familiar, it’s still one of those reliably comfortable genres that always tends to entice an audience to step into the ring and spend a couple of hours throwing jabs. In the case of Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher, that’s extended to success on streaming, in spite of what the critics think.

As per FlixPatrol, the historical hybrid of sports drama, character study, and stirring underdog tale has debuted at the very top of the Prime Video most-watched charts in the United Kingdom after premiering yesterday. Originally deigned for a theatrical release, it was revealed back in May that Prizefighter was on its way to streaming instead, although there have been rumors of financial infighting between the cast, crew, and producers.

That would probably explain why the marketing campaign has been virtually non-existent, even though Academy Award winner Russell Crowe plays a pivotal supporting role in Prizefighter as Jack Slack, who takes a keen interest in the pugilistic exploits of Matt Hookings’ Jem Belcher, who rose to the top of the bare-knuckle boxing ranks at a young age, before his life took a drastic downturn for the worse.

A 13 percent Rotten Tomatoes score highlights that maybe you shouldn’t go in expecting one of the best boxing-orientated movies you’ll ever see, but for fans who’ve struggled through much of the dreck the popular subgenre has had to offer in the past, Prizefighter may just be worth sticking with until the bell rings.