If you're expecting Rocky, toss those expectations in the bin. This is a film that has bathed itself in the grittiness often found in British cinema, then dressed in a suit of P10 sandpaper.

Although the plot is hardly a revalation, it is beautifully written and directed. Despite having big names like McShane and Winston, it is Johnny Harris who knocks it out of the park with an engaging and real performance.

Not for those after an easy watch, or balls to the wall action.

A former boxer with promise returns to his old stomping ground on the mean streets of London hoping for one last chance of success

Stop me if you've heard this one before but .... what you stopped me as soon as I came to this page? Fair enough. JAWBONE is a traditional type of gritty drama of a washed out boxer trying to get his life back on track. If you're expecting the big budget feel good Hollywood factor try somewhere else because this is a gloomy British movie

Actually this is maybe a little bit too gloomy. It's got that British independent feel. It's well made where the social realism shines through but it's not a film where you walk out of the cinema clicking your heels. On top of that unlike a lot of boxing films you've seen from ROCKY to RAGING BULL director Thomas Napper ensures that if you're hit with a high velocity fist then it will hurt and cut you

One minor complaint is that some people be fooled in to watching a film starring Winstone and McShane and there can't be a single movie in Britain who doesn't love these two legends but the reality is their parts are minor with McShane literally appearing in one walk on scene . Instead it's Johnny Harris as boxer Jimmy and Michael Smiley who carry the film. Smiley in particular is very good but the story is one you've seen before

The story of a man down on his luck is as familiar as it gets. Boxing as a metaphor for human struggle and inner conflict is also very much tried and tested. So for star and writer of this redemption tale, Johnny Harris, to come up with something so endearingly heartfelt is a testament to the mans talent and ability.

I never write about a films plot, I only like to convey a sense of what the experience provided etc. This film will make you feel something; empathy, sadness, hope, pity - all the ingredients of a rock bottom and up film.

Yes, it's a boxing film. But that shouldn't deter viewers who don't enjoy the pugilistic genre or sport itself. This is a brilliantly written, produced and acted film that focuses on one man's incredibly bleak prospects and overcoming the insurmountable he has created for himself. A man who is proud yet lacking dignity and how he turns to the only vestige he knows in order to claw it back.

This is a no nonsense film that ticks every box you could hope for in an indie flick. Expertly directed by Thomas Napper it manages to avoid all the many tropes and hackneyed marks that most boxing films run into and leaves you feeling privileged to have seen it.