Golden Boy, written by Clifford Odets in 1937, feels like a Norman Wisdom movie. A talented boxer wants to become a great violinist so he refuses to throw heavy punches in case he damages his fingers. The boxer, Joe, comes from a loving family who urge him to pursue a musical career but he meets a greedy, fast-talking agent, Tom, who promises him wealth and fame in the ring.

To prise Joe away from his family, Tom encourages his adorable girlfriend, Lorna, to use her influence on him. Lorna promptly falls in love with Joe and the romantic triangle adds heaps of conflict to his career as a boxing champ. Josh O’Connor, looking more like a Hungarian philosopher than a streetfighter, brings an arrogant physicality to the role of Joe. Hayley Squires plays the vacillating Lorna with the right mixture of self-doubt and naked desire. Daniel Mays delivers a credible performance as Tom, the twitchy hoodlum with a heart of gold.

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Odets dislikes writing simple stories and he prefers a plot that heaves from one impossible dilemma to the next. Unmarried Lorna loves........

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