Southpaw

Southpaw

Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker, Naomie Harris, Rachel McAdams

Directed by Antoine Fuqua

The Story:
Billy Hope (Jake Gyllenhaal) had a rough childhood.  He grew up in foster care, and there he met and fell in love with Maureen (Rachel McAdams).  They grew up together, got married, and had a daughter Leila (Oona Laurence).  Billy worked on his boxing skills, and rose to fame and fortune as the World Light Heavyweight Champion.

One night Maureen suddenly dies, leaving a grieving Billy and Leila alone.  He spirals out of control in a drug and alcohol fueled rage, resulting in him losing his mansion, his money, and most importantly his daughter to foster care.  At first he is unable to cope with all the events going on around him, until he turns to trainer Titus Wills (Forest Whitaker), a boxing trainer who works with underprivileged youth.  Seeking a job to show the courts that he can hold down a steady job, Billy begins studying under Wills, and an opportunity arises for him to not just get his daughter back, but also regain his title and possibly extract revenge against the man he holds responsible for his wife's death - or it could destroy his life forever.

The Synopsis:
The boxing sub-genre is littered with amazing films - "Raging Bull," "Million Dollar Baby," "Cinderella Man," "Rocky," and "The Fighter" to name a few.  "Southpaw" can now be added to that list, as it is an incredible tale of one man's rise to power, descent into nothingness, and struggle to regain that power.

Antoine Fuqua, who directed "The Equalizer" and "Training Day," returns to full form to tell the tale of Billy Hope, a boy who lived a rough life, and worked hard to gain the popularity and wealth he now relishes.  He has a huge house, a beautiful wife, an entourage and all the popularity he could desire.  His only downfall is his own hubris, as he lacks the humility to see the bigger picture, which inadvertently leads to his wife's death.  With this lack of humility, he sends himself on a self-destructive path to destruction, as everything he loved is taken away from him, and he's literally left with nothing.

Originally set to be a sequel to Eminem's "Eight Mile," Eminem backed out of the project to focus on his music, and Fuqua had to re-invent the story and turn it into something new and original, and in that he had to also find a new leading man, which he found in the incredibly talented Jake Gyllanhaal.

Gyllenhaal gives the performance of his career in "Southpaw," which could earn him an Oscar nomination - if not for it being released in the summer.  Most Oscar-bait movies released during the height of the action-packed summer season never sees the Oscar light of day, and I fear that will happen here too.  The movie itself is riddled with previous boxing cliches, but in a genre so structured, you can't really escape it.  Gyllenhaal transcends these cliches to rise above it and bring forth a tremendous performance.  This is his second knock-out of the park, behind his immaculate performance in the also overlooked "Nightcrawler."

Forest Whitaker gives a great performance as well, even though his character isn't given a decent enough back story to fully understand his motives, he still does extremely well with what he's given.  One of the standout performances - besides Gyllenhaal - is the surprise work of young  Oona Laurence, who plays Billy's troubled young daughter Leila.  She's given some truly heart-wrenching stories to work with, and she performs them with the talent of a much older, must more seasoned actress.  There were several moments in the film where the emotional heartstrings were pulled taunt, and most of them centered around Leila's character, especially with her relationship with her father.

At its heart, "Southpaw" is a tale of redemption, and what you do when everything you've valued is stripped and taken away from you - what type of person will you be when the lights go down, the crowds leave, and you're left alone?  Will you be someone to rise to the occasion?  Or will you fall because you have no strong foundation to stand on?  That's the questions "Southpaw" asks, and the answers are as inspiring as they are poignant.

The Summary:
Although riddled with generic boxing cliches, "Southpaw" rises above them to become not just another boxing film, but one that transcends its source material, with an excellent performance by Jake Gyllenhaal.

The Score: A-