Steel yourself for boxing film A Prayer Before Dawn which packs a punch in a Thai jail

JOE COLE (Peaky Blinders) is Billy Moore, a real life Liverpudlian inmate in Thailand’s most notorious prison.

With a huge language barrier and lack of support from family and friends, Billy has to fend for himself in often the worst circumstances you could imagine.

Rape, murder and drug-dealing are rife and were it not for fighting, Billy would stand no chance. After being allowed to participate in the Muay Thai boxing tournaments, Billy sees a chance and grabs it with both hands.

The real-life Billy had a far more “rum” background than is let on in this depiction of his memoirs, and we’re never really privy to why he’s in prison here, but details aside, this is a tough watch, but I couldn’t take my eyes off it.

Joe Cole is superb in the lead, planting himself firmly in the eyes of Hollywood.

The fight scenes are as realistic as I’ve seen, leaving you feeling exhausted and pummelled. Cole’s choreography and physicality are almost as impressive as his muted yet fierce performance.

If you’re squeamish, or sensitive to brutal, unflinching representations of sexual or emotional abuse and violence - this probably isn’t the film for you.

That’s not meant to insinuate you need to be “hard” to enjoy it - but this is as brutal as boxing or prison films get, so steel yourself.

A Prayer Before Dawn, 116mins (18)

★★★★☆