Review of Southpaw (2015) by Nathandrake007 — 20 Aug 2015

First and foremost I am not into sport. If you know me, it is the furthest thing from my mind at all times. This is not another boring sport flick (Sorry Sport Fans). It uses boxing to convey something else, something more. But at the same time we do see some of the very best boxing action ever witnessed on film. It’s hard and fast and brutal. I was biting at my finger nails watching each and every fight.

However this is a story of that one person you think you can never live without. That one person, that sits next to you on the couch and laughs at your stupid jokes. The one person you can’t imagine growing old without. Having Children, or at least, a few Dogs and Cats with.

Billy Hope played by Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko, Prisoner) plays a Middleweight World Champion Boxer at the top of his game. Never at a match without his beautiful wife Maureen, played by Rachel McAdams (The Notebook) and even more gorgeous daughter Leila Hope, played by newcomer Oona Laurence (Orange Is the New Black).

Oona really sets the benchmark for child actors here and on almost three occasions had me in an ‘I have dust in my eye’ phase. Leila is not allowed to go to the fights and see her Dad being beaten to a pulp. She is always looked after at her home by the Nanny and awaits her parents return after every win. Sitting up in her bed when he returns with Mum and gently counting the scars on his face. It is a moment that resonates through the rest of the film. It also makes what happens next harder to watch.

I never give too much away in my reviews, suffice to say as the next fight night is over and Billy and Maureen are ready to leave for home, a brutal accident sends everything into meltdown. We see Billy and Co hit the very dark rock bottom. The fight to get back up again and defeat his new Rival Escobar played by the rather frightening Miguel Gomez (Tv’s The Strain) is an incredible one.

At its very core this movie is a redemption film and at its very, very best it is heartbreaking and a tear jerker, but in a great way. A way I never saw coming for a film marketed on being a generic Boxing Flick! A massive nod to the always amazing Forest Whitaker who plays a boxing couch Tick Wills. Even Curtis (50 Cent) Jackson has another crack at acting and quite frankly in this film he fits perfectly into his role.

It is easy to say that this has been done many times before and in some people's eyes it may have been done better. In my eye's this is closest film to which is have felt a part of the entire run. Rather than having some long, overdrawn concept and waiting for the inevitable final fight.

Director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day & The Equalizer directs here and it is safe to say he just keeps getting better every single movie he anchors.

It really feels like something massive is just around the corner for Antoine very soon. Something ground breaking that will truly set him.

Apart as one of the best Directors of this generation. This film makes it feel that one step closer. Ever so close. Quite frankly I hope we see him and Jake at the Oscars this year for both their outstanding efforts.

As was the same in The Equalizer, Antoine's close up shots and.

Utilization of the overly used slow motion effect, really feels fresh here. The same effects and camera work tricks are being used on most of the incredible Choreography here when it comes to the brutality of the fights. We owe almost all of that to Terry Clabon the fight trainer and choreographer for the movie. Jake really went all out for the role and got ridiculously ripped for the part as seen in the pics below.

The haunting score by the Late James Horner is breathtaking and really does make you feel every stare, every tear and every turn. This movie is actually Dedicated to James and I thought that was fantastic.

The film is also written by Kurt Sutter (Sons Of Anarchy Creator) and you can see it as Antoine seems to really bring all the script to screen wonderfully.

There is some bad with all the good however and it may just be a few little details. But the way in which the brutal first act plays out and is never really spoken about again. Such a massive part of the film and it is over looked so easily. It does not really make any sense. I was waiting most of the film for an answer to which I never received. Thankfully the rest of the film and the Oscar worthy acting make up for it.

I have to leave you with a few more words. Ditch whatever you want to go and see right now and check this film out.