Faces punched, hearts tugged
Boxing flick highlights the heat of Gyllenhaal as he showcases his mental and physical skills
“Fighter” on the left. “Father” on the right.
The story of Southpaw can be read in these two words, elegantly tattooed on the forearms of Jake Gyllenhaal’s boxer character Billy Hope.
He’s desperately struggling to remain in the ring and also to be a good dad to his young daughter, Leila (Oona Laurence). That’s as deep as this movie gets. It’s as subtle as a punch to the face, which is the way of director Antoine Fuqua. Think Rocky rather than Raging Bull, and don’t spend time wondering how soon screenwriters Kurt Sutter (TV’s Sons of Anar- chy) and Richard Wenk ( The Mechanic) will reference The Great White Hope.
It’s all coming, but then so is the heat from Gyllenhaal, who transcends even the most mundane of material. Nightcrawler showcased both his bodily and mental skills, as he disappeared into the role of a bottom-feeding TV newshound.
This one’s much more physical. It’s as raw as Billy’s left eye, which bleeds from steady right hooks.
The most savage of them come from rival Miguel Escobar (Miguel Gomez), whose war with Billy extends past the ropes.
Gyllenhaal commands the screen as furiously as he does the ring, in a role originally planned for Eminem (the rapper moved to the soundtrack).
Billy pummels his way at the outset to become Junior Middleweight boxing champion of the world. He doesn’t have much to say, but he has an adoring daughter, a loving wife (Rachel McAdams) and a manager/friend (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson) determined to help him stay on top and in the long green.
It’s all good — but suddenly it becomes all bad. Billy hits the skids, hard. The fight for his career and family will require more than brute force.
Enter Tick Wills (Forest Whitaker), a gruff ex-fighter and current trainer of New York’s scrappiest and needi- est amateur boxers. Will he help Billy?
The answer’s obvious, but the many merits of Southpaw may not be. This isn’t great cinema, but it’s satisfying movie-making, with nothing more on its mind than telling a heart-tugging story.
Southpaw isn’t great cinema, but it’s satisfying movie-making, with nothing more on its mind than telling a heart-tugging story
Fuqua knows his way around a ring. He’s in so tight, it feels at times like the camera is getting punched. His casting choices are aces, especially rising star Laurence, age12, for the significant role of Leila. She’s as convincing as Gyllenhaal in a film that earns its tears and cheers, even as it telegraphs its punches.