Most everyone enjoys a good underdog story. Movies like Rocky, Hoosiers, Cinderella Man, or even smash hit comedy Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story are stories that have given people hope even in their toughest moments in life. Two of the above mentioned are based on true accounts, and the others are just fictitious stories from some of Hollywood’s most creative minds. All of them still carry the same basic principle; they are all about stories that revolve around people at their lowest point in life, struggling to press on and achieve their ultimate goal. Cannes Festival Selection A Prayer Before Dawn encompasses these ideas, but as far as being at one’s lowest is regarded, there may not be another story quite like this one.
The tale follows British born boxer Billy Moore, documenting his time in Thailand where he engaged in boxing, prostitutes, drugs, and eventually a prison sentence that nearly meant the difference between his life and potential death. Moore is found in possession of drugs and a gun and is then sentenced to prison in Chiang Mai. Upon finding out that he may have a chance for freedom, Moore joins the prison boxing team for an opportunity to fight his way out of prison. Based on the memoir of the actual Billy Moore, English actor Joe Cole steps up to the plate to tell his story in an artistic undertaking that is not only brutal in the telling but often times difficult to watch.
A Prayer Before Dawn tells a physical story, and a haunting one at that. Every moment of watching is steeped in fear of Moore’s life and well-being.
Joe Cole shows up in shape, and his proficiency in Thai Boxing is apparent as he sells every fight scene. It’s very evident that he worked as hard as necessary in his preparation for this. This isn’t however, an action film. It’s not a “boxing” story. This movie is about redemption, and the harsh reality that Billy Moore endured inside of the notorious Thai prison. In other words, Joe Cole’s appeal isn’t in his physicality, it’s his soul gripping performance that makes this film what it is. Director Jean-Stephane Sauvaire also ensures these distinctions, in how he showcases his own unique style in guiding this production. The shots are intimate, and the use of natural light is clearly there. The film itself also carries dark tone. Dialogue is scarce, which helps the audience understand how Billy Moore must have actually felt whilst doing his time there. The scenes that represent the prison culture are not only volatile, but disgusting and difficult to observe. Everything looks and feels real, which makes things quite unsettling. This sort of style may not be for everyone, but it is authentic and it was more than effective. The other actors are all former inmates of Thai prisons, so it is safe to say that there was not much acting on their part. They have lived it. The fight scenes in and out of the boxing ring are not only well choreographed, but also excruciatingly realistic. A Prayer Before Dawn tells a physical story, and a haunting one at that. Every moment of watching is steeped in fear of Moore’s life and well-being.
A movie-watching experience like this can only be paralleled to something like The Shawshank Redemption, but take that feeling of being uneasy, and multiply it by about a hundred. Although, enough movies like this are just not made quite frankly. A Prayer Before Dawn lacks any sort of industry made formula writing because it’s based on real life. Its design is to show and shock, it is not a ‘feel good’ movie. This story though as inspirational as any underdog film is almost more of a deterrent than anything. If one should have any thoughts about what prison would be like, watch this movie and bask in the understanding of why it’s better to be on the outside, than on the inside.
