‘Prison Fighters: 5 Rounds to Freedom’ is a Borderline Masterpiece
Nothing is better than a good, old fashioned redemption story and no genre of entertainment supplies as many of them as professional sports. A once mighty champion who is knocked off his perch and fallen onto hard times, only to resurrect himself back into the king of his division is something Hollywood makes legends of.
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Prison Fighters: 5 Rounds to Freedom is overflowing of action, emotion and reflection into oneself. The genesis of the documentary is an unconventional criminal justice system in Thailand where prisoners can earn their freedom through winning muay Thai fights. The state-sponsored rehab program is not reserved for just petty criminals, though. Instead, violent criminals have been freed through their participation in “Prison Fights.”
“This story is unlike anything we’ve ever encountered,” said
Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager,
Showtime Sports, prior to the film’s debut. “Redemption is a common
metaphor in sports stories, but this is a story about actual
redemption and rehabilitation, with prisoners literally fighting
for their release from prison. This film brings viewers inside a
personal story of crime and punishment, set against a societal
debate about the meaning of justice, rehabilitation and the
opportunity for a second chance.”
After several minutes of explaining the history and importance of muay Thai in the country, Brown gets right down to business by showing dozens of hardened prisoners spending unknown amounts of years behind bars. Rapists, murderers and drug lords are lumped into Khao Prik Prison and anybody who knows how to fight has the ability at some point to earn his freedom back if he is able to win a number of Thai boxing matches.
“Boxing has always been a way out of the ghetto for people who weren’t lucky enough to find another path out,” Perlman told Sherdog.com in a recent interview. “But the recidivism rate here is about (60 percent) but Thailand has this incredibly rich history of muay Thai and this program they have been using has that rate down to five percent. Not only is it uplifting, but it’s really effective and that’s the goal, to get these guys a way out. It’s a true rehabilitation.”
The bulk of Prison Fighters centers around Noy Khaopan, a once-promising fighter who got drunk at a bar one night and allegedly stabbed Anirut Vanichyaron in the neck out of cold blood. Vanichyaron, a model citizen with a bright future, died from the attack and before long, Khaopan was apprehended and sentenced to prison.
The parents of Khaopan lament the fact that their son, who was once a fun-loving boy, would devolve into the life of a street thug who would eventually murder an innocent man. They mourn the fact that he’s been locked away and have the added burden of raising Khaopan’s young son, who has been abandoned by his mother as well. The parents want Khaopan to somehow be allowed out of prison because they believe it was just a momentary lapse of judgment, that he can turn his life around, that he’s really a good person.
Naturally, Vanichyaron’s mother is grief-stricken beyond repair and is mystified that her country’s justice system has figured out a way to earn additional money and recognition by exploiting not only Thailand’s national pastime, but that a heartless killer can be set free as long as he wins a muay Thai fight. There aren’t nearly enough tears this poor woman can shed as no amount of mercy or money can bring her son back.
Throughout the documentary, Brown introduces former bantamweight and super featherweight world champion Sirimongkol Singwangcha, one of the country’s greatest boxers, who flushed his career down the toilet thanks to drugs. Another role player in the film is Chalermpol “M” Singwancha, a former hitman who had murdered at least nine people and then stabbed three inmates while incarcerated. He has since won his release from the prison and apparently has turned his life around, though the real focus is on Khaopan and if he can win his freedom.
American muay Thai fighter Cody Moberly, who has fought for Lion Fight, among other promotions, is brought in as the foreigner for Khaopan to fight. Moberly reveals that he has had a difficult upbringing as well and he had gotten into trouble in the past, but he is in no way sympathetic for his upcoming foe, who committed murder. Moberly is ready to fight for Vanichyaron and his family and he believes it’s his duty to uphold justice by defeating Khaopan.
After quite a bit of build-up, the documentary concludes with the battle, where Khaopan wins by the skin of his teeth with official judges’ scores of 49-48. Naturally, it’s an emotional time for Khaopan and his family and for a few seconds it’s heartwarming to see him reunited with his son, who still has no idea that his father was in prison for killing someone. But once the positive emotions linger for a short while, one can’t help but feel terrible for Vanichyaron’s mother, who not only lost her son but now must live with the fact that his killer has been set free after spending a few short years in prison because he won a muay Thai bout.
“Everybody has been so desensitized and it’s really hard to find a story that truly moves the needle in terms of being uplifting and hope-inspiring,” Perlman said. “But even on old cynic like me -- a guy who doesn’t believe in anything anymore -- is blown away by the cause and effect of giving somebody a channel through which to send all of their energy. You can’t do it halfway because the finish line is freedom.
“Do you believe in redemption or do you believe in capital punishment?” Perlman added. “This film asks us to dig down deep and articulate what our own values are and that’s what it did. It’s going to be different for everybody and it’s going to provoke a response.”
In all, “Prison Fighters” is an absolute treat to watch. It’s engrossing from the start and the videography grips the viewer immediately. Whether someone loves muay Thai or knows nothing about it, Brown has done a tremendous job in bringing everything to light. And whether someone vehemently disagrees with the notion of letting a convicted murder loose into civilization just because he won a Muay Thai fight is irrelevant; Prison Fighters is a borderline masterpiece.
