I AM DURÁN: Reverent Doc About Panama’s Punching Hero

Roberto Durán is one of those athletes who rose to the top of the sporting world just in time when his nation was desperately looking for a hero. He’s been blessed with a riveting life story and a spellbinding persona that has resonated with such global force, so much that his biography is one that has been told again and again across different mediums (as is the case with Mike Tyson, who is featured here speaking of the influence Durán had on budding pugilists such as himself). Mat Hodgson’s new documentary I Am Durán is the definitive audio-visual guide to the legendary Panamanian boxer’s life.

Manos de Piedra

He knocked out so many opponents over a career spanning more than a hundred victories, earning the nickname ‘hands of stone’. If that sounds familiar to anyone otherwise unacquainted with the former world champion, it’s because he received the biopic treatment just a few years ago with Édgar Ramírez playing his cinematic counterpart, the movie titled after his moniker.

Unfortunately, that dramatisation didn’t amount to much more than a workmanlike sports drama. Hands of Stone was primarily concerned with the professional rivalry he had with Sugar Ray Leonard but the tale of the two is better examined in this documentary because, here, the American boxer is directly interviewed, offering the startling fact that he was able to sway all of his front teeth after their first clash.

Leonard is one of the stellar list of contributors here, all linked to Durán in one way or another, including HBO’s longtime sports broadcaster Larry Merchant, infamous promoter Don King and Robert De Niro, who starred as late trainer Ray Arcel in the aforementioned feature film. Of course, the titular fighter lends a narration too.

The people’s leader

His progeny Robin Durán offers a personal perspective by talking about his father’s rough coming-of-age but, whilst the focus is of course on his old man, it would have been interesting to hear of Robin’s own experience growing up under this larger-than-life figure.

Hodgson’s film explores his subject by situating the meaning of his life within the notorious regime of strongman Manuel Noriega, whose dictatorship was cause for a U.S. invasion by President George H.W. Bush. The most effective depiction of Durán’s popular impact throughout this controversial chapter of Panama’s history is in the terrific archival capture of the enormous crowds who came out to celebrate with him.

They were proud citizens taking a breather from the brutal grip of the military leader. As Don King says, “It was a family reunion” for the country when Durán would come home after a victory. In a succinctly profound comparison between himself and the General, Durán says, “Noriega had the power, I had the people.”

An adoring profile that keeps its guard up

There’s a rich amount of material covered here, entailing his young days as a shoe shiner to the infamous No Más Fight. It’s good for those who don’t know their Panamanian history and also good for those who know little about late 20th century boxing, as we learn about the sport at a time when it was feared to die out following the exit of Muhammad Ali but reinvigorated due to a medley of now all-time greats including Durán.

But I Am Durán is most interesting for the boxer’s supporters – of which there are evidently plenty. It’s a doting profile that may not have had key access from such closely connected talking heads if it presented any challenges to his legacy. As a result, for better or worse, Hodgson is careful not to mine his character for any controversial details.

I Am Durán: Conclusion

I Am Durán isn’t structured in the most cinematically exciting way but it’s a story that’s excitingly cinematic. Quite a routinely crafted film with a familiar television doc aesthetic, it shines brightest with skillfully assembled clips of in-ring battles happening alongside rising political tensions, juxtaposed with images of the affected Panamanian people, altogether boosting this documentary’s value in multiple contexts.

The unwillingness to scrutinise any slight deficiencies in his character undoubtedly renders I Am Durán as a hagiography, but it’s that rare hagiography with non-bothersome intentions and wholesome execution, immersing us in the incredible life and career of a boxer who fought his way to the top with the colossal support of a nation that needed him as much as he needed them. Fans are going to love it.

How well do you think I Am Durán intertwines Panama’s history and Durán’s life? Let us know in the comments below.

I Am Durán will be available on digital download June 4th 2019.