There's Always Hope

Rating: 10/10 (27 July 2015)

Raw emotion was the driving force throughout the story. Jake Gyllenhaal's transformation into Billy Hope was impressive. He conveyed the pain and despair that Hope was going through perfectly and was very believable as a pro boxer.
There is a particular scene while he is talking to his daughter at night in her room then steps out to head down the hallway that really is quite profound. When they are out of sight from one another and Gyllenhaal speaks briefly, the emotion and that particular moment and what it meant showcases pain in a way where the viewer can feel the stinging reality of it.
The darkest moments of the film were where it shined. These moments were extremely believable, and because of this, they were moments that viewers could relate to. If you know pain, which many do, one can recognize and feel the pain of another because pain in unambiguous. If you are able to feel the pain of Billy Hope, you can see yourself on screen and you know exactly how he is feeling and the context of that moment which can be a powerful moment for the viewer.
For those who are familiar with Sons of Anarchy and Kurt Sutter's work, there was a parallel where "sins of the father" comes into play where the child is thrust into the past of the parent. I think this again, played very well into the emotion of the film.
Give it a watch, but do so as a sponge absorbing the context and emotion of each scene. You'll enjoy it and relate to it much better that way. You don't have to be a boxer or go through what Billy Hope does to relate to the story.