Southpaw (2015) | Movie Review

This is far from a knock-out punch and it sure isn’t ‘Phenomenal’, but “Southpaw” is easily worth a trip to the ring.

Boxing films are among the most repeated formulas in the deep world of sports-themed cinema. Ever since “Rocky” and “Raging Bull”, everyone in the audience knows almost to the letter how these stories will unfold: Loveable roughneck tries desperately to claw out of the unknown into that glorious title fight that will cement his legacy as one of the greatest. Sound familiar? Of course it does.

“Southpaw” endures much of this same archetype, yet it offers a very different route to its destination. Immediately from the first frame, Billy Hope (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a champion. We see his beautiful family, his entourage, his money, his fame. A brutal, relentless fighter, Hope begins his journey already on top-of-the-world. When a terrible tragedy strikes, Billy loses both his will to fight, along with his family. He is then forced to start from scratch, getting back to his meager beginnings with a new trainer (Forest Whitaker), a new mindset, and even a new posse – all to win back both his family and his own self-respect.

If this all sounds very clichéd, well it is. There is not much to “Southpaw” that you have not seen in numerous other boxing films, including the required training montage set to a fist-pumping track. If you have seen even one, you can probably surmise exactly how the film will unfold before Billy finishes lacing up. Therefore, walking into “Southpaw”, you will need to ask yourself one question – Can you forgo the need for something fresh and instead enjoy the road you’re on?

Because if you can, the performances here are can’t-miss. Rachel McAdams as Billy’s wife (who continues her banner year after the best thing about this season of True Detective) is radiant and powerful, she is Billy’s rock and we love her for it. Whitaker once again offers his trademarked brand of sage wisdom and heartfelt strength as the trainer Billy has needed since he began. As Billy’s daughter Leila, Oona Laurence never comes across as anything but a flesh-and-blood child forced to deal with a father that is not quite ready for prime-time. Even 50 Cent’s turn as a rather unscrupulous business manager registers far more effective than most critics could have anticipated.

All of that acting combined doesn’t come close to Jake Gyllenhaal though. After “Prisoners” and “Nightcrawler” (which should have earned Gyllenhaal an Oscar nod at best), I should no longer be enraptured with just how brilliant an actor Gyllenhaal is. Yet here I sit, once again taken aback with how many layers Gyllenhaal invests in his characters. The tiny nuances and inflections he offers in every scene, the facial tics, the blinding rage and pain behind the eyes – Gyllenhaal is a fascinating addiction to watch.

Billy Hope is not a smart man, this is a man whose very downfall was crafted around the same elements that originally brought him to riches: His passion. His anger. His pride. Most actors would play these emotions as one singular trait, but Gyllenhaal has the skill to differentiate these attributes and create yet another shining example of why he is among the most talented actors working today.

If only the story were there to help take the title. Written by Sons of Anarchy’s Kurt Sutter, “Southpaw” offers every example of the best and worst in Sutter’s writing. When it comes to crafting dark yet sympathetic characters, Sutter come swinging through. He truly lives this world through his words. But when it comes to thematic elements or redemption itself, well, let’s just say that Sutter has never met a metaphor that he would not prefer to punch square in the face rather than wax poetically about. Subtlety has never been Sutter’s strength, and “Southpaw” suffers because of it.

That is not to say the film does not work, it does. As I said earlier, the performances are strong and the fights are painful to watch, shot as harshly as possible by director Antoine Fuqua. Even with a story so predictable you can assemble the film in your mind before the first bell, it delivers enough sheer entertainment from the brilliance in Gyllenhaal’s performance to warrant giving it a go.

This is far from a knock-out punch and it sure isn’t ‘Phenomenal’, but “Southpaw” is easily worth a trip to the ring.

Aaron Peterson
The Hollywood Outsider