Unstoppable: Film Review
Jharrel Jerome grabbed my attention with Moonlight and When They See Us and he delivers yet another stunning performance in Unstoppable.
This biographical sports drama, directed by editor William Goldenberg, tells the story of wrestling underdog, Anthony Robles (Jerome), who competed in the main competitions despite being born with only one leg. The film also spotlights his relationship with his mother Judy (Jennifer Lopez) and how they supported each other through an environment of domestic abuse.
First of all, more people should be talking about how terrific Jerome is in this movie. The real Robles was his body double and stunt double but Jerome still had the physically demanding job of learning to move like he had one leg instead of two. He had to learn to walk with crutches with ease – not like he’d just been injured – and wrestle in Robles’ style and I was astounded that he pulled off that physicality. Jerome also has a lot of emotional weight to carry – he is determined to win against all odds, to prove himself to the naysayers and make his mother proud.
I have to admit that I do not care for wrestling, particularly the non-WWE kind, and I have no idea how it’s scored. So the wrestling scenes didn’t hold the same excitement for me as they might for somebody else. I was more interested in Robles’ training, his relationship with his university teammates and his coach Sean Charles (Don Cheadle).
This is generally a conventional and predictable sports biopic but the storyline about the strong bond between Robles and his mother makes it unique. As her eldest child, Robles helps her through an abusive marriage to his stepfather (Bobby Cannavale) and makes sacrifices to support his family. The domestic side of the film was more compelling to me than the sports.
While this is a film about Robles, his mother has a bigger presence and a lot more screen time than you might expect. Lopez isn’t perfect but this is the best she has been since Hustlers. There is a lot of stress and responsibility on her shoulders and she tries to put on a brave face for her kids and not let it affect them. Her bond with her eldest son – who she had as a teenager – is one of the film’s biggest strengths.
Unstoppable doesn’t show us anything we haven’t seen before in an underdog sports story but this uplifting and inspiring film is still worth a watch for Jerome’s extraordinary physical performance.
In limited cinemas from Friday 6th December and Prime Video from Friday 16th January