It’s not entirely bad, however. I do have quite a bit to compliment, mainly the performances at hand. Edgar Ramirez is an actor that I always enjoy seeing, and this is arguably his best performance to date. He gets deep into the character, and portrays his anger, vulnerability, and undeniable love in a simple yet effective way. I also thought this was DeNiro’s best performance since “Silver Linings Playbook,” and one of the rare times where I didn’t feel like I was just watching DeNiro get paid to show up on set. He genuinely brought it to this, and I loved their chemistry with one another. The biggest surprise? Usher as Sugar Ray Leonard. He nails the mannerisms and look of Leonard perfectly, and a lot of the film’s best scenes feature him. He was genuinely fantastic here.

I was also a fan of the way it didn’t shy away from some of the shitty things Duran did. In so many biopics you see them try to cover up a particular point in time of their lives to maintain this false image. Not only does “Hands of Stone” go deep into Duran’s lows in life, but they do such a good job at making you understand WHY he’s doing it, so that when the inevitable redemption occurs it works and doesn’t come off as forced. They don’t make excuses for him. He was in the wrong, but he is forgiven and redeemed realistically. That’s always refreshing to see in a biopic. There’s a lot of things in this movie that are truly earned, but I just wish they made the connective tissue a little tighter so that the film feels all around great; Not just a slightly average film with great aspects inside of it. 2.5/5.