Netflix continues to update its lineup, and while the streaming giant adds exciting shows, it also has to make space by removing others. Among the films being removed in September is a beloved 2016 film starring Robert De Niro and Édgar Ramírez.
Robert De Niro’s ‘Hands of Stone’ Leaving Netflix
Getty“Hands of Stone,” the film directed by Jonathan Jakubowicz and released in 2016, stars De Niro as Ray Arcel and Ramírez as Roberto Duran. It also features Ana De Armas as Felicidad Iglesias and Usher as Sugar Ray Leonard. The synopsis for the film, per IMDb, reads, “The legendary Roberto Duran and his equally legendary trainer Ray Arcel change each other’s lives.” Out of 19,000 reviews, “Hands of Stone” scored 6.6 out of ten on IMDb.
As for how long fans have until the film is removed? Not long, unfortunately, as it is scheduled for removal on Tuesday, September 8, What’s On Netflix reports.
Robert De Niro Reveals What Drew Him to the Film
GettyDe Niro has found success with sporting films and won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1981 for his role in “Raging Bull.” He has also appeared in “Grudge Match.” In an interview with “CBS This Morning” in August 2016 to promote “Hands of Stone,” De Niro revealed that he had personally met Arcel and was interested in the script. The film is based on the book by Christian Giudice.
“He had the script and sent it to me,” he said of director Jakubowicz. “I was interested myself, because I had met [Arcel] either once or twice when I was doing ‘Raging Bull,’ and I was impressed with who he … just the way he carried himself. He wasn’t like a typical trainer that I ever saw. He had an elegance about him; he was always dressed up, like a banker or something. So that interested me.”
De Niro continued, “So I looked into as much about him as I could and met his wife, and saw as much on him, did the research and so on.”
What Drew Robert De Niro to ‘Hands of Stone’?
De Niro revealed that as they got closer to making the film, they lost funding, and it was his idea to ask “some rich Panamanians to do it for a tax break” to help finance it. That’s what happened, and why they filmed in Panama. Of filming in the country, the Hollywood icon said it was a “much more interesting place to shoot, the real place, and the actual gym he trained in. It was meant to be.”
De Niro also shared why the sport genre appeals to him, saying, “It’s an ultimate match between two people. Nothing is going to go past that.” But he didn’t sign on for the film because of the fighting; he was interested in the human story behind it. “I like the story. The father/son-type thing with Edgar Ramirez and that relationship, I think, is very important,” he said.
