As a man, it’s hard not to love boxing movies. As an American man, I find it to be even harder. There’s something about the idea of persevering, training hard, and wailing on an opponent that’s very attractive to viewers. The reason we love boxing movies so much is that we’re usually guaranteed to see an excellent fight during the climax. Hard hits, slow motion, blood, sweat, and tears are everything men love in the sport. While the boxing entertainment is generally a sure thing, it’s the story that surrounds it that makes us become invested in the characters, that’s why films like Rocky and Raging Bull are so revered. Taking cues from Rocky, Raging Bull, and The Champ, Antoine Fuqua’s new film Southpaw is a picture that offers us a flurry of punches that both land perfectly while occasionally missing as well.
Boxer Billy Hope (Jake Gyllenhaal), an adoption home system boy from NYC, is at the top of his game and considered the top dog in boxing. The guy has some anger issues and when he’s confronted by an up and coming boxer who wants to fight him, things turn ugly and Billy’s wife (Rachel McAdams) is accidentally killed. Caught up in depression and battling plenty of anger issues, Billy eventually loses everything, including temporary custody of his daughter (Oona Laurence) to child protection services. Unless he can get a job, get his anger under control, and show that he can be a functioning adult that can handle the responsibility of his daughter, he won’t be able to take her home no matter how much the two love each other. In an effort to better himself and to train while he’s suspended from boxing, Billy finds himself at Wills gym where he connects with the gym’s owner and former pro trainer Tick Wills (Forest Whitaker).
Southpaw’s story seemed fairly original to me even with a semi-cookie cutter story and, by that, I mean it brought a semi-new take to a genre that’s been worked over and over. When I saw the film I had never heard of the movie The Champ so the idea of using boxing as the backdrop for loss and redemption, specifically with the lead’s child, really intrigued me. While we all want to see boxing, the bulk of the movie is dramatic, focusing a lot on the self-destruction and rebuilding of Billy’s life. As a result, the movie’s pace slows significantly once the intense drama starts and the rebuilding period begins with Tick Wills. It’s the plateaued lull in the story that may drop the film in the rankings, but like I said above, I love boxing movies and always enjoy watching the evolution of a character.
This leads me to one of the highlights of the film, the acting. Jake Gyllenhaal brings a ferocity to the role of Billy Hope that, at times, makes him unrecognizable. His transformation from the sociopathic creep in Nightcrawler to this is insanely impressive and with Southpaw he goes above and beyond to ensure that his NY aggressive street mannerisms are down. At the same time, due to his talented acting chops, there’s also a vulnerability that he brings to the screen when his character unravels and loses everything. While Fuqua’s direction was pretty good, he has Jake to thank for the attention the film demands. In her supporting role, Rachel McAdams proves once again why she’s one of the most talented women working in Hollywood. It’s always wonderful to watch her in a role that isn’t bubbly, but rather one that’s temporarily juicy and pivotal to the film. I also have to mention Oona Laurence, Billy’s daughter in the film. She was terrific in her role and I’m looking forward to seeing her grow on screen, hopefully for many more years.
Outside the acting there were two other aspects of Southpaw that I loved. First was the soundtrack/score combo and the second was the boxing. Eminem executive produced and his influence on the soundtrack is clear. The music really added an extra layer of intensity as I found myself getting amped up every time new beats dropped. It’s certainly a soundtrack I plan on picking up. James Horner, who conducted the score, did a brilliant job as well and it’s a shame this will be one of the last scores we hear from him.
Lastly, the second aspect and part I loved the most about Southpaw was the boxing itself. From the various camera angles, including first person shots, to brutal beat downs and long rounds, Fuqua and co choreographed and shot some of the best cinematic boxing I’ve seen. The opening fight was brutal and passionate while the climactic fight had an entirely different vibe but was thrilling and heart pounding. It was certainly more entertaining to watch than the Pacquiao/Mayweather bout.
Overall, I really enjoyed Southpaw. It wasn’t the epic Oscar worthy film I was hoping it to be but it was still a really solid film. With superb acting, brilliant music, a strong directorial hand and a good story, Southpaw is sure to win most boxing film fans over quite easily, it sure won this one over for the most part.
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