Directed with unflinching honesty and total dedication to the inherent ugliness of the story by Jean-Stephane Sauvaire, the film charts the punishing exploits of Billy Moore, an English boxer who got arrested while living in Thailand, and was then locked up in the country’s most notorious penitentiary (the film was also shot on location in the same jail).
Consumed by a desperate world of violence, drugs, and rampant depravity, he decides that his only chance for survival is to compete in increasingly dangerous Muay Thai tournaments, going up against some incredibly fierce opponents.
The air-tight and aggressively streamlined screenplay by Jonathan Hirschbein wastes not a single moment, delivering important information (both visual and verbal) without a ton of hand-holding.
This is, for better or for worse, an experiential journey into a disgusting pit of despair, and just you wait until the fights commence, because this is NOT some Hollywood-approximation of ring-bound violence.
Every single punch in this film HURTS, and the way Sauvaire and his fearless cinematographer David Ungaro capture the action is a lesson in visceral cinematic immediacy.
You get all of the expected ingredients in this volatile package, and yet, there’s something extra about it that sticks to the ribs. This certainly won’t be a movie for everyone, but for those with strong stomachs, prepare for a knock-out blow. Available on Blu-ray/DVD and via various streaming providers, this is another provocative A24 release that’s waiting to find its cult audience.
Review by Nick Clement
Summary
Wholly riveting and almost too intense to be believed, A Prayer Before Dawn is one of the most hellish genre-benders I’ve seen in a while, combining true-story dramatics with a fusion of two popular narratives (the prison and boxing picture), with a searing and amazingly physical lead performance by Joe Cole at its disturbing center.
