A Prayer Before Dawn: A harrowing true life story driven by a superb performance by Joe Cole

Sub Lead13-Aug-18by John J. Raspanti

Reviewed By Jason Gonzalez

A Prayer Before Dawn

The biography of English boxer Billy Moore hit the big screen last Friday. In A Prayer Before Dawn Moore, potrayed by fellow countryman Joe Cole, takes the audience on a journey that makes an unexpected pit stop at the corner of a deadly heroine addiction and Thailand’s most notorious prison.

With minimal dialogue, Cole’s excellent performance spoke volume. The 29-year-old Cole conveys Moore’s growing confidence as he seeks redemption. Being submerged into a sub-culture of drugs and violence, Moore (Cole) realizes that his best chance of escaping to participate in a Muay Thai tournament and fight his way out.

“It is so important that the world know the story of Billy Moore," said Cole."It’s a story of addiction, it’s about facing demons, it’s about overcoming insurmountable odds within the setting of a Thai prison.It’s about a man faced with a difficult psyche that has nothing to lose and everything to gain.”

Cole describes the physical component required for the role as, “The hardest thing that I have ever done.”

“Although, it was one of the hardest things for me to do, it was one of the most satisfying things that I have accomplished professionally. Being in a real prison with real living and breathing individuals, being there with real fighters is an element that you can’t make up. That component is as real as it gets, there wasn’t anything scripted there.”

A Prayer Before Dawn

As per Cole, both he and Moore have forged an inseperable friendship. They’ve been in constant communication since filming wrapped.

“I would like to think that Billy is pleased with the film,” Cole said. “Although he hasn’t said anything about it, I would say that he is happy with the finished product. Billy isn’t exactly one to pull punches. But we have established a new level of camaraderie back home in England.”

Director Jean-Stephane Sauvaire and the rest of the cast put forth a magnificent effort showcasing that drug addiction requires effective treatment, which is then followed by managing the problem over time.

Any effective drug abuse treatment will engage participants in a therapeutic process and retain them in treatment for an appropriate length of time, to help them learn coping methods, as well as encouraging abstinence.

“Drug addiction is an illness and should be treated as such,” Cole said. “A lot of money should be pumped in to help combat this horrific epidemic. This was a major part of why we did the film.”

Check your local listings for times and showings.

by Jason Gonzalez