A Prayer Before Dawn (2017) Reviews

• Joe Cole Is Ferocious In The Brutal Biopic 'A Prayer Before Dawn!'

  moviefest-907572018-08-23

  Joe Cole gives a ferocious performance in this relentlessly intimidating crime/biopic based on an english boxer (Billy Moore) who gets incarcerated in Thailand's most notorious prison, the "Bangkok Hilton." This is visceral and often unwatchably brutal stuff. At times watching it felt pretty much like getting a knife to the gut, especially in one unbearable scene that I don't want to spoil, plus it's a bit to graphic to explain. The director also opts for no subtitles, so unless you speak thai, it instantly gives you a claustrophobic feeling, thus putting us right inside the prison house of Billy's mind. Don't let that deter you as there is dialogue, and what it lacks in, Joe Cole makes up for with a sensational display as he captures his character's relentless aggression and the low cunning he needs to survive whilst also showing us Billy's humanity and very occasional moments of vulnerability. It was 100% method-style madness, so kudos to Joe Cole for a Performance I really can't commend enough. The fight scenes were well shot and included some awesome knockouts that seemed completely real, especially the first fight he has in prison, wow! The tattoo-covered convicts are terryfying and all sensational supporting actors. All in all, amateur director Jean-Stephane Sauvaire has masterfully crafted a brutal biopic that packs one hell of a poetic punch! Must see! Check us out on Instagram @MovieFest

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• You haven't seen such a movie...

  jon-226432018-09-08

  It's not a typical movie... it's a slow, realistic, painful movie, about what happens inside a Thai prison, which is basically hell, Don't expect to see an action movie, it is not, and do expect to see some horrible and disturbing sites. It's important to anyone to see this movie, as it also has educational value. The Thai boxing is just a minor part of the movie, and a tool to show how far a man is willing to go, how much suffer, to get a redemption, and fight his inside demons. Amazing camera work, and the acting of all actors especially the Thai prisoners (most participant are not actors at all) is fabulous. It looks so real you almost forget it's a movie and not a real life documentary. The leading actor in this movie is a brave guy to take such a hard role, which required a lot of practice and preparations. I highly recommend you watch it, some scenes in this movie you will never forget.

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• Brutal, hellish and unrelenting, but also a painfully true story told with conviction.

  LloydBayer2018-07-18

  As much as I love the Rocky films and the franchise offspring Creed, I must admit that A Prayer Before Dawn makes those films seem like feel-good Hollywood fairytales. And as much as I recommend this film for its cinematic achievements, I must also say that this film isn't for everyone. Why? As a brutal assault on the senses, there isn't a single moment that allows the viewer to think "it's only a movie". Your only choice is to either look away, or absorb every horrific moment and wish it never happens to you or anyone you know. Based on the memoirs of British boxer Billy Moore, his heroin addiction and ensuing drug bust in Bangkok, the film begins with his arrest and incarceration in a Thai prison. Not only is Billy (Joe Cole) the only white face in a prison cell with dozens of other hardened local criminals, the deplorable living conditions and lack of any sort of law and order would comparatively make life in Alcatraz seem like a privilege. And then, during his first night in, Billy is held with a knife to his throat and forced to watch an act of gut-wrenching, nerve-rattling brutality. French director Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire uses this scene to set the tone for the rest of the film where it remains consistently bleak and unapologetic. After days of copious cruelty and violence (or months, as a timeline is not revealed), Billy realises that his survival depends on his skills as kick-boxer. With sympathetic help from a lady-boy he befriends in jail, Billy starts training as a Muay Thai fighter. It might just let him live another day. Billy's training scenes are a stark contrast to the trumpet blaring training montage in any of the Rocky films. That's because this film isn't about the glory of winning a fight but solely about staying alive. Which is why A Prayer Before Dawn is first and foremost a survival film, followed by a blood sport film as a close second. Green Room actor Cole is remarkable as Billy and the main reason for recommending this film despite its ugly premise. Somewhere along the film's two-hour runtime, Cole's Billy transforms from a beat-down British expat to a fighter releasing his fears and frustration into every explosive blow with brute force. It's a physically demanding role that Cole gets right but also helped by the jarring camerawork that puts us in the ring and under the skin of relentlessly pounded flesh. It all feels so authentic and immersive that one can't really say if they are acting or beating each other senseless. Add to that, the film was not only shot in an actual Thai prison, Cole was also working with real life prisoners who were still under detention. For the millions of tourists who visit Thailand every year, this film doesn't paint a pretty picture and neither does it intend to. Like Nicolas Winding Refn's moody Only God Forgives, Sauvaire has a story to tell about Bangkok's seedy underworld that most tourists don't often see. The anti-drugs message is severe and the price to pay is extreme, but as a real life story told with conviction, A Prayer Before Dawn is about humanity's most defining virtue of persistence even in the most hellish of places.

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• a trip to a hell and not quite back

  fai-904692017-10-10

  Really intense prison-/boxing-/survival-drama. Its shocking, uncomfortable and harsh. Fortunately I have never been to a Prison like that but It felt so real. Where did they find all these tattooed thugs? The characters are all believable and the cinematography is original. You can see an impressive "oner" during the first fight in the ring. There is very little dialog and the subtitles for are absent for most of the time. I suspect this is done on purpose to make us feel like the protagonist Billy Moore. The sound design is great! The panting is loud during some of the scenes and the clashing, sweaty bodies in the fights sound just fantastic! The only complaint that I have is that it felt a bit long because it got a little repetitive, especially during the training sessions.

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• Joe Cole - Amazing

  melkereriksson-923452018-09-30

  A Prayer Before Dawn touches upon almost every grand subject of life. Love, lust, hate, deep anxiety and the willingness to survive. Even though he does is with minimal dialogue, Joe Cole's performance is one of the greatest I've ever seen. So raw. So full of energy and all different kinds of emotions. This film was a proper hit to the gut. Punt intended. Bravo.

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