Southpaw movie review & film summary (2015)

Gyllenhaal gets that too. In the ring, he plays Hope as a force of nature, screaming into the camera, blood intermingling with spit that hits the lens. Outside of the ring, Gyllenhaal recognizes that men like Hope are often insecure, even shy when they’re talking about personal, emotional things. Look at how Gyllenhaal carries himself differently with the boys in his entourage, Jordan, his wife, and, eventually, his new trainer. In scenes of potential redemption, such as when he’s talking to Tick or Leila’s case worker (Naomie Harris), he lowers his gaze, almost like a child hoping to get the answer that he so desperately needs. Again, Gyllenhaal’s physicality says more about the character than anything in the film. Just as he did in “Prisoners” and “Nightcrawler,” Gyllenhaal makes daring, confident decisions. He has quietly turned into one of our most physically confident actors. And it’s nice to see his strong work here matched by an excellent turn from Whitaker as well. Sadly, too much of the rest of the ensemble (other than Laurence) feels like a plot device, especially Harris’ case worker.

Director Antoine Fuqua is no stranger to stories of the dangers of macho male aggression, and he proves to be a good fit with Sutter. His style is aggressive, often placing us in the middle of a fight, literally getting punched by an opponent. It can be a bit too frenetic and I do think there’s a stronger version of “Southpaw” that catches its breath a bit more often to find the character beats outside of the ring. There’s a brief moment when Billy tells Tick, “My wife would have liked you,” that’s the kind of human interaction that the film could have used more of in the end. I also think Sutter cuts a few corners in the second half, particularly with a troubled inner city youth that Tick and Billy try to help who could have been named Plot Device—that’s how thinly written and cheap his subplot feels.

There are more boxing movies than any other sport. Why is that, especially in an era when the real sport is declining in popularity? It’s because of the intrinsic relatability in fighting for something—getting in the ring and trying to defeat not just an opponent but personal demons. “Southpaw” enters the long filmography of boxing flicks, and puts up a surprisingly good fight.

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