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A Prayer Before Dawn is the remarkable true story of Billy Moore, a young English boxer incarcerated in two of Thailand's most notorious prisons. He is quickly thrown into a terrifying world of drugs and gang violence, but when the prison authorities allow him to take part in the Muay Thai boxing tournaments, he realizes this might be his chance to get out. Billy embarks on a relentless, action-packed journey from one savage fight to the next, stopping at nothing to do whatever he must to preserve his life and regain his freedom. Shot in a an actual Thai prison with a cast of primarily real inmates, A Prayer Before Dawn is a visceral, thrilling journey through an unforgettable hell on earth.
Rating
R (for strong violence including a brutal rape sequence, drug use and language throughout, some sexual content and nudity)
Director
Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire
Studio
A24 and DIRECTV
Writer
Jonathan Hirschbein, Nick Saltrese
- I can't imagine how I will survive in jail. But being incarcerated in a foreign country where no one speaks English is what next-level nightmares are made of. A Prayer Before Dawn is based on the best-selling memoir of Billy Moore, a British boxer who was sent to a Thai prison. The reason for his imprisonment was not explained. In fact, the film did away with a lot of exposition. Instead, it showed what Billy's life is inside the dirty and cramped spaces of the jailhouse. The director used a lot of tight shots - evoking a sense of claustrophobia. The dialogue is mostly in Thai but there were no subtitles. Just like Billy, we were trying to make sense of what everyone is saying and what the fuck is going on around him. It's a full sensorial experience with gratuitous brutality, breakneck pace, and cacophonous score.Reply
- Incredible, heartbreaking story and very well acted. A movie that will haunt you long after you've left the theatre.Reply
- The film is utterly riveting, as director Jean-Stephane Sauvaire takes the audience on a jarring, unforgettable odyssey that leaves us with some big themes to chew on.Reply
- A Prayer Before Dawn is a savagely transgressive work, giving all who buy a ticket a front row seat for life on the inside, and just how cheap it becomes.Reply
- Invigorating cinematography and bruising sound design ensure every moment of A Prayer Before Dawn feels painfully authentic.Reply
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- No one would accuse it of breaking new ground, or finding fascinating new paths across its well-worn prison yard. But Sauvaire's drama is lean and trim and unwavering in its task.Reply
- It's a spare, brutal, well-crafted prison drama, anchored by an at-turns wildly aggressive and hauntingly vulnerable lead performance by Green Room's Joe Cole.Reply
- A big, bleeding feat of extreme cinema, given elevating human dimension by rising star Joe Cole's ferociously physical lead performance.Reply