Southpaw packs a punch

Rating: 7/10 (3 September 2016)

Jake Gyllenhal delivers another terrific performance, this time as boxing champ Billy Hope. JakeG rips your guts out with his emotional performance as this somewhat crazed boxer who seems to thrive on taking punishment before he delivers a knockout blow.
Billy has seen it all, having grown up on the streets, in child care. He's been there. Rachel McAdams plays Mo, his wife Maureen he met on the streets who understands him like no other. Finally their daughter Leila played by Oona Laurence gives a pretty good account for herself against this formidable acting group.
When tragedy befalls Billy, something he feels guilty for, everything falls apart. He has to dig deep, deeper than he ever has had to, to resurrect himself. Everything that matters to him is on the line. Forest Whitaker as Tick Wills takes him in and agrees to train him.
As plots go, you've seen this movie before with a boxer who's on top one day, then down and out the next. However, what's different here is the power from Gyllenhal, and the film skill of director Antoine Fuqua. The camera angles are terrific, with blurry POV images that put you right there in the fighter's head. The music is top notch too.
What would have made this a great film would have been a bit more background on Billy's past, and on Tick's, because without more info on that, you have to assume they lost something and will fight till the death to get it back.
Terrific acting, excellent direction, and a decent story line. See Southpaw for all this and more. Enjoy.