‘Hands of Stone” is a sprawling yet fairly conventional biopic about the Panamanian boxing champion Roberto Duran — a man The Associated Press once declared the seventh-greatest fighter and No. 1 lightweight of the 20th century. For the uninitiated, the title refers to Duran’s nickname. He was known for packing a mighty hit and (usually) winning.
When he faced Sugar Ray Leonard for the Welterweight title in 1980, he was 71-1. He won that match too, only to forfeit it six months later in a bizarre re-match that’s become known as the “No Mas Fight.” Popular myth would have us all believe that Duran said “No Mas” to end the match partway through. He’d fallen out of shape in the months between the two fights.
That event is dramatized in writer-director Jonathan Jakubowicz’s film, with Edgar Ram?rez as Duran and the singer Usher Raymond as Leonard. But while it might be the showdown that has cemented Duran’s unique place in history (even if he probably didn’t utter those words), it’s hardly the main event of “Hands of Stone,” which strives to give context to Duran’s life — complications and all.
Our entry to the story is oddly through the famed coach Ray Arcel (Robert De Niro), who comes to observe Duran in action before agreeing to train him. He’s already great at this point, but Arcel is there to take him to the next level — namely the United States. Duran isn’t interested at first — he hates the U.S. for what they’ve done to his country. The framework allows “Hands of Stone” to jump back in time to a glossy reenactment of the 1964 riots over sovereignty of the Panama Canal.