Heavyweight Review – Powerful, A Gripping Psychological Drama, Riveting

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Category: UK A&E, Lifestyle, Culture

Published on Wednesday, 16 July 2025 10:09

Written by Janet Walker

Heavyweight, from Blackwater Pictures, presents an intense, and gripping, boxing drama as an elite athlete, by default receives a shot at the title, and as the dirty tricks, self-doubt, anxiety, take over threatening to destroy his chances.

The film begins with voice over, as the sports announcers begin the play by play in tonight’s match-up, as a vehicle approaches an arena where we see two banners featuring the fighters in tonight’s ‘Diamond’ Derek Douglas, played by Jordan Bolger, battling Trevor Kingsley for the title. By the time we arrive, we understand Derek is fighting tonight by default, Kingsley’s two other choices withdrew due to injury.

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Throughout the ride he is clutching his cellphone, waiting for his brother to call. Adam, his coach played by Nicholas Pinnock is riding with him. Just as they arrive at the entrance Derek’s brother calls, and he explains he has to take the call.

Adam is trying to keep his fighter in the best headspace, so no media, and certainly no questions on his ability or the possibility that he is a filler, with no real chance. Once the walk-in begins, we see the team Adam, David, the teams security, played by Joplin Sibtain, corner man, Paul, played by Barry Aird, and second cornerman, Robbie, played by Rob Malone.

Freddie Goodson, played by Jason Isaacs, the fights promotor brings a few friends into the locker room, and wants selfies with the contender. When Adam protests, he explains and has invested a considerable sum into delivering the championship bout. So, they comply and everyone, especially the promotor, is happy.

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Adam begins to explain the countdown when they turn on the television and watch the warm-up fights. Suddenly the fight is replaced by Kingsley’s locker room, where everyone is shocked to see Derek’s former strategists Caine Ikande, played by Osy Ikhile, talking trash with the media.

The shock of seeing Caine, who just two weeks ago, was training with Derek begins the derailment. As Adam continues to keep him focused, time to suit up, phones off, no distractions. For a minute, it seems like he is back in the right headspace. Okay, everything is on track. Desperate to find his brother, Derek keeps calling only to reach voicemail. By this time, after more than an hour of voice mail, he has had his limit and he punches the mirror, it cracks, and glass embeds in his knuckles.  

This ushers in the third act. As the pressure escalates in real time,  Adam tries to come up with a plan to hide the injury from the referees who watch the wrap to ensure integrity, and cut man, Paul, working to pull the glass from knuckles. They all agree to cover the injury.

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Soon the head referee Bernard, played by Adrian Lukis, and Caine arrive in the dressing room to watch the wrapping process. It almost looks like they will manage to cover the injury, when Caine calls out Adam. When he does, Adam exposes the bloody knuckles.

This sets off a series of events, with Caine calling for the fight to be forfeited, and soon the doctor appears to examine Derek, and finally, the promoter enters the locker room and explains to everyone this fight will go on leading to a climatic ending.

The World Premiere at the opening night of the 33rd Raindance Film Festival, Heavyweight is a riveting and gripping psychological drama that delves into the mind of the elite athlete, and examines the deepest parts of doubt, loyalties, long buried issues, bonds that are broken and forged. It is engaging, arresting, and powerful.

The film expertly weaves the junkie dependence on cell phones, and the power they can wield, even to the point of derailing a career.  The ensemble cast led by Nicholas Pinnock, and in a star making feature debut Jordan Bolger, embody more than the physicality of the role, but deliver the mindset, the psychology of the moment. Jason Isaacs adds electrifying wattage, as the fights promotor.

Heavyweight is a dynamic, capturing deep dive into the mind and mind games of the elite athlete. It is a must see.

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Country: UK.

Runtime: 98 minutes.

Release Date: June 18, 2025 (Raindance Film Festival).

Directed By: Christopher M. Anthony

Producer: Antoine Dixon-Bellot, Tiernan Hanby, Kevin Harvey, Simon Lewis Marriott, Nicholas Pinnock.

Writer: Christopher Anthony

Cast: Jason Isaacs, Nicholas Pinnock, Jordan Bolger, Jamie Bamber, Sienna Guillory, Blake Harrison, Joplin Sibtain, Adrain Lukis, Alana Boden, Osy Ikhile, Nabil Elouahabi, Kyle Jerichow, Patrick Pearson, Ian Streetz, Orlando Norman, George Asprey, Barry Aird, Rob Malone, Katya Hazel Boirand.

Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade.  A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five screenplays, "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She has completed the non-fiction narrative, "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," and is available on Amazon. “Days, Times, Seasons, Events: A Collection of Poetry & Prose,” will be available by August 1, 2025. She is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a former member of the International Federation of Journalists.