Directed by : Antoine Fuqua
Written by : Kurt Sutter
Starring : Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker, Oona Laurence, Rachel McAdams,
Release Date : July 22, 2015
If you've seen the full marketing trailer for "Southpaw" and questioned if it showed the whole movie, then I'll say you're wrong. It didn't show the whole movie, just most of it. Almost all of the primary plot points were revealed in the trailer, which probably makes you question whether you should bother watching this movie then. Well there's only really one reason to watch this movie, and that's Jake Gyllenhaal.
Jake Gyllenhaal continues to be one of the best actors around, and his performance as boxing champ Billy Hope, who then becomes a distraught husband and father, is absolutely outstanding. Gyllenhaal displays a full range of emotions here, and even took on the task of physically looking like a boxer. The rest of the cast are also really good, from Oona Laurence who plays his daughter, to Forest Whitaker who plays the trainer that Hope needs to help him get his life back together.
The story for the movie isn't exactly unique. In fact it feels very familiar, and very predictable. While it seems to try and stay true to what happens in the world of boxing in real life, it doesn't exactly make an attempt to avoid the usual sports movie tropes, cliches, and plot conveniences. Thankfully the relationship aspect of Billy Hope to his wife and daughter are so emotionally resonant, that many scenes involving that plot can be very heartbreaking to watch.
This is the kind of movie that would have gotten a lot of accolades if it was released 40 years ago. Unfortunately, besides Gyllenhaal's strong performance, the dramatic plot element of his family, and those very enjoyable boxing scenes, "Southpaw" simply doesn't stand out as a truly great film. It's a well made movie, but not exactly a modern classic.
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