There is something inherently melodramatic about boxing. Two fighters in a ring duking it out with one man standing as the victor after a good 15 rounds all bloody and bruised is both entertaining and cathartic to an audience. Champions are forged out of such bloody victory and it’s never a stretch for a filmgoer to align his or her own personal struggles with that of a pugilist taking punches in a ring. Boxing movies have their own specific allure because of this and we’ve had a plethora of them over recent years.
“Southpaw” can now be added to the bunch and it should be said from the start that, while far from a pulpy visceral masterpiece like Scorsese’s “Raging Bull,” this film is not without some fine acting moments and lingering power of its own. An impressively lean and mean Jake Gyllenhaal stars as rough and tumble boxer Billy “The Great” Hope who we first see getting pummeled severely by a younger up and coming fighter attempting to claim Billy’s light-heavyweight championship title. This opening bout is introducing us to Billy’s fighting style (or lack thereof) in which he has to get hit harder and harder until he snaps and unleashes a flurry of punches that finally flatten his opponent into submission. It works and Billy has won again but he’s an aging past his prime fighter at this point and such a reckless offensive style is taking a toll on his body and face much to the chagrin of his wife Maureen (a fine and feisty Rachel McAdams).
Maureen is urging Billy to take time away from fighting just as his manager (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson) is now offering up an incredibly lucrative 3 fight deal to Billy that could set him, his wife, and his loving daughter Leila (Oona Lawrence) for life. Billy is no sooner pondering as to what to do when a sudden tragedy unfolds at a Charity function which ends in Maureen being shot and killed. Not long after he starts losing everything including custody of his daughter. Now broke and alone he seeks the council of trainer Tick Wills (an excellent Forest Whitaker) who ultimately takes Billy on so he can get his life and daughter back.
Suffice it to say that the script written by Kurt Sutter (“Sons of Anarchy”) is far from subtle and accompanied by sometimes heavy handed direction by Antoine Fuqua (“Training Day”). This film occasionally annoys and frustrates due to the ridiculousness of the situations being presented especially when Billy is lashing out with suicidal tendencies in wake of his wife’s death. Being gritty has never been an issue for Fuqua but there are times when the grimness of his films can ambush the efforts of the considerable actors he’s often able to obtain with “Southpaw” being no exception.
And credit should be given to these actors who make do with what they’ve been given starting with Gyllenhaal as the doomed force at the film’s centre. His mumbling palooka is another startling physical transformation for the actor especially considering his last portrayal was as freakishly rail thin camera man Lou Bloom in last year’s “Nightcrawler”. Gyllenhaal bulked up here considerably and has the ripped look and leering gait of a boxer. He’s also credible inside the ring as well after an intensive 5 months of boxing prep which supposedly included 2 a day work-outs at least 6 days a week. His muscular and tattoo laden appearance will get attention for sure, as well as his sporadic fits of anger, but the internal work he does here is even more surprising. Billy Hope is very much a street kid who used boxing ferocity as a way out of poverty but he’s still in the mindset of a teenager who hasn’t allowed himself to grow up until now when he’s being forced to do so. Gyllenhaal plays these scenes with a growing sense of awareness and modesty and his transition from stunted manchild to wary adult provides “Southpaw” with an unexpected poignancy. Other members of the cast also shine. McAdams has great chemistry with Gyllenhaal and their scenes together allude to a long history of surmounting the fight game together. Lawrence imbues Leila with a fiery intelligence and maturity that her father initially struggles to understand which goes against the more familiar whiny and helpless kid routine. And Whitaker is tremendous as the fight trainer Wills, layering his portrayal with flinty humor and dignity as well as flickers of self doubt not commonly associated with such a stock part.
As the last big fight approaches it’s still not hard to get engaged in all the genre trimmings complete with a training montage and thumping Eminem soundtrack even though we’ve seen it all before ranging from the likes of “Rocky” to “The Fighter.” Billy Hope is now entering the fight of his life and from the looks of it so was Gyllenhaal. His bolder acting choices occasionally kick Fuqua’s formulaic film into unexpected territory for the genre. And I at least have hope for whatever this increasingly fascinating film actor decides to do next.
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