Review of Southpaw (2015) by Preston L — 09 Nov 2015

Southpaw tells the story of Billy Hope (Jake Gyllenhaal) the Light Heavyweight Boxing World Champion. Hope is on top of the boxing world but after a personal tragedy he loses everything and is forced to rebuild himself and come back with a new willpower, and a new outlook on life to reclaim what he once had.

Things I Liked:

Jake Gyllenhaal. If you don't think that Gyllenhaal isn't one of the most dynamic and powerful actors working today, then you are watching the wrong movies. With this and Nightcrawler last year he has disappeared into his character and you forget it's Gyllenhaal you are watching. His performance as Hope drives the film and you really hold onto the performance. Gyllenhaal is showing how he has grown and, when given the right part, how truly chameleon-like he can be.

The Tone. The movie is one that pulls at you. It really makes you feel for the characters and really makes you invested in their story. Your heart strings get tugged and you really have follow this emotional journey the cast and the story puts you through, it's a strong amount of emotional gravitas and It was hard to get through at times because you just want to jump in and help the characters, but you can't.

Oona Laurence. This little lady is thirteen years old, she was 12 when the movie was made. Laurence plays Leila, Hopes daughter, and gives a dynamic performance and really holds the screen with Gyllenhaal. I was impressed with the emotional depth her character went through and how believable the journey felt as she performed it. I expect great things are to come from Laurence as she grows up, both in the near future and beyond.

Things I Didn't Like:

The Plot Cliches. The plot is nothing new. It's the same type of top of the world, then crushed, then having to rebuild story that we have seen. In fact, we saw this in another boxing movie 30 years ago with Rocky III. So it's not even original to the genre. The moments are good but when you step back and really look at the story as a whole, it doesn't feel completely fresh and interesting because it isn't something new. It's an old story just a little updated for the modern audience.

Overall:

Overall the movie is a story we have seen before. But that doesn't detract all that much from the powerful performances and the emotional hits this movie delivers. Gyllenhaal disappears into his character once again and Laurence shows a depth for character beyond her years. Both have beautiful performances, and when they are together you get drawn into their story. The emotional moments in the movie hit you over and over and by the end you are not just rooting Billy Hope on, you are praying he succeeds because you can't watch him fall again. It's a fantastic film and one that I think got unjustly beaten by many other critics.