SHAKESPEARE said the course of true love never runs smooth but add to this bombs, bullets and the odd terrorist and you may think things couldn't get any worse.

Set against the backdrop of pre-ceasefire Belfast, The Boxer, now showing at UCI Cinemas, follows the clandestine romance between former IRA prisoner Daniel Day-Lewis and another prisoner's wife Emily Watson.

Day-Lewis plays Danny Flynn, a boxer who after 14 years in prison decides to resume his career in the ring.

Re-opening his old boxing club with drunken manager, played by the excellent Ken Stott, he also rekindles his love for his childhood sweetheart Maggie Hamill.

It is not long before Flynn becomes embroiled in the province's twisted politics, as the local IRA mobsters start taking a keen interest in both the boxing club and his love life.

Flynn is finally left with the choice of leaving Belfast and living, or staying to face the consequences.

Director Sheridan certainly doesn't pull any punches in his latest offering, which conveys the tense situation that exists in Northern Ireland and the difficulties both Catholics and Protestants face every day.

There is a strong anti-sectarian message throughout the film, as Flynn attempts to bring the communities together through boxing.

The fight scenes are cleverly done, with Day-Lewis looking and playing the part well after extensive coaching by Barry McGuigan.

The boxing plays second fiddle however to the love story, with the chemistry between Day-Lewis and Watson understated yet movingly intense.

With an ending that has more twists than a Tyson bout, this taught and gripping drama evokes strong emotions and excellent entertainment.

Verdict: 8/10

This drama will have you on the edge of your rinside seat right until the final bell. A world champion.

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