“Boxer” is a 2024 film written and directed by Mitja Okorn. The film features Eryk Kulm, Adrianna Chlebicka, Eryk Lubos, Adam Woronowicz, Waleria Gorobets, Bartlomiej Kotschedoff, and more. The narrative revolves around the story of an aspiring boxer, Jedrzej, who flees Poland’s communist government to make his name in the boxing industry and give his family the life they deserve.
Boxer (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
Who is Jedrzej?
“Boxer” follows a young Polish man, Jedrzej, whose one and only dream has always been to step into the octagon and become a professional boxer. His father, Edwin, was a professional boxer back in his day, with plenty of wins under his belt. Edwin had always wanted his son to grow strong and follow in his footsteps, maybe even surpassing him in the ring. But life took a rough turn for Edwin. He struggled to care for his wife and son during a particularly tough year.
A few years down the line, Edwin’s boxing career hit a dead end. He made it to the Olympics but lost, and that defeat sealed the deal on his time in the ring. Afterward, he took a job as a miner, where he contracted tuberculosis, leaving him constantly ill. With his health declining, Edwin completely changed his mindset about Jedrzej’s future. Instead of pushing him toward boxing, he insists that his son focus on academics. Edwin is convinced that education is the only ticket out of poverty and toward a better life for their family. However, deep down, Jedrzej’s heart is still in the ring, and he always dreams of putting on those gloves and fighting like his father once did.
Watching his father’s health worsen daily, Jedrzej chooses not to upset him. Instead, he focuses on his studies like Edwin desires. But when his father passes away, so does Jedrzej’s passion for school. This is the story of Jedrzej, a young man who faces countless challenges on his journey to becoming a boxer, and a peek into how bright his career could’ve been—if only he hadn’t lost his way along the path.
Why did Jedrzej choose to flee Poland with Kasia?
After Edwin’s death, Jedrzej spirals into an angry young man, ready to bulldoze anything in his way. His uncle, Czesiek, gives him some advice about taking that rage to the boxing ring and using it on the punching bags instead. But the problem is, Jedrzej’s all fire and fury, with no focus on technique or strategy. Still, sometimes, that raw anger works, and it helps him win plenty of matches. During one fight, Czesiek even slaps Jedrzej repeatedly to fire him up, hoping he’ll knock out an opponent who’s been beating him down all night.
Czesiek has bigger dreams for Jedrzej. He wants him to go for Olympic gold, believing it’s the only way for Jedrzej to secure a better life for himself and his wife. But Jedrzej is haunted by the thought of history repeating itself. He fears that losing at the Olympics would end his career, just like it did for his father. So, instead of chasing Olympic glory, Jedrzej decides to leave Poland and head to England, hoping it will do wonders for his career.
How does Jedrzej come to work for Nikodem?
Once in England, Jedrzej tries to break into professional boxing, and he’ll find a way to get into a university. The problem is that they’ve got no passports, so the undocumented people have to always look over their shoulders. Jedrzej’s first try is to convince Neil McKavanagh, a top trainer, to take him on, but it doesn’t happen because he gets brutally beaten by one of Neil’s best boxers.
Jackie Boss, an untrustworthy bookie, spots potential in Jedrzej and offers him a chance to fight, but Jedrzej will have to lose the match in exchange for cash. Backed into a corner and with no other options, Jedrzej reluctantly agrees to Jackie’s terms. But the moment he sees Kasia in the audience at one of his fights, he finds it hard to bring himself to lose—not with the love of his life watching.
Jedrzej’s unexpected win doesn’t sit well with Nikodem, a dangerous gangster who lost a fortune in that fight. To settle the score, Nikodem forces Jedrzej to sign a professional contract with him and fight under his banner but ditch Czesiek as his coach. In exchange, Nikodem offers Jedrzej access to his gym and a steady flow of cash, and he even pulls strings to make sure both Jedrzej and Kasia get legal papers to stay in England. Before long, Jedrzej starts to swim in money, and Nikodem even gifts him a massive house. It seems like things are finally looking up for the once-struggling boxer. However, there’s always a catch when you’re in business with a gangster. Jedrzej is just too ignorant to pick up the apparent problems looming over his life.
How does Jedrzej come to lose his way?
Soon enough, the fame and fortune go straight to Jedrzej’s head. He cuts ties with Czesiek, the very man who had his back from day one. Jedrzej’s ego spirals out of control, and he cheats on Kasia with a sports reporter named Eva. Blinded by his fame and success, Jedrzej even skips his own son’s birthday to attend an illegal and explicit rave with Eva. Eventually, Kasia has had enough and ends her marriage with Jedrzej, leaving him to shack up with Eva, the reporter. Sadly, instead of turning things around, Jedrzej spirals even deeper. His days become a blur of drugs and foolhardy nights with Eva. His once-promising boxing career also tanks hard, and he can’t even land a decent punch in the ring anymore.
Nikodem warns Jedrzej that if he doesn’t start delivering results, there will be hell to pay. Also, remember that contract Jedrzej signed without reading it? It turned out to be a big mistake. Turns out all those gifts and the fancy house Nikodem gave him weren’t out of generosity. Nikodem’s been keeping tabs on everything. So when Jedrzej tries to collect what he thinks is owed to him, Nikodem reveals that it’s actually Jedrzej who owes him a quarter million pounds.
Jedrzej finally wakes up to the cold truth that Kasia had been right about Nikodem all along. The gangster was never family, just a shark using Jedrzej as a moneymaking asset. The second he stops being useful, Nikodem will toss him aside like yesterday’s trash. To make things right, Jedrzej rushes to Czesiek for forgiveness. However, it is too late, as Czesiek has hanged himself. Soon, Kasia serves him with divorce papers, giving another crushing blow to Jedrzej’s already fractured life. All of this mental turmoil pushes Jedrzej over the edge, but he uses every ounce of rage and pain in the ring. He manages to win the championship belt.
Boxer (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
Why and how does Jedrzej get Czesiek’s gym back?
As the film nears its end, Jedrzej makes his way back to Poland. Out of nowhere, Wladek shows up. He is the very guy who took the fall when Jedrzej and Kasia fled from England, but Wladek isn’t back for revenge. Instead, he hands Jedrzej a tape, which contains a recording of a conversation from years ago that took place in Czesiek’s gym between Jedrzej’s father, Edwin, and a man named Konstanty Zalewski.
It turns out that just months before Edwin was set to compete in the Olympics, Zalewski demanded Edwin throw the fight, or else he’d go after Jedrzej. At the time, Zalewski was involved with the Russians, hoping to secure himself a spot in politics one day. If this recording goes public, his career will end before it is even started. Zalewski will be branded as a traitor and will get hate from everyone for Poland for losing its Olympic gold medal.
So, what does Jedrzej do with that tape? Instead of going to the press, he goes to see Zalewski and demands the ownership of Czesiek’s old gym. Zalewski is caught off guard, agrees, and signs over the ownership papers. Ultimately, we see Jedrzej reopening Czesiek’s gym so it can be a place to train aspiring boxers. Jedrzej wants to teach them not just how to box but also how to stay grounded because while it takes ages to climb to the top, it takes no time at all to tumble right back down.
