one of the best sports movies I've seen

Rating: 9/10 (30 October 2015)

This movie starts where most boxing movies end, with it's star holding up the belt. Instead of seeing his rise we watch his fall from grace. Personal tragedy leads to self destruction, and soon he goes from having everything to losing the only things that mattered. He has to rebuild from ground zero. He isn't made out to be a hero like Rocky, he's a man seeped in flaws trying to be a father. Climbing back into the ring wasn't just to hold some belt, it was to provide a life for his daughter. This movie is emotional, and the cast delivers amazing performances. You feel his wife's fear and concern, his grief and pain, and his daughters heartbreak as she losses not only her mom but her dad as well. Jake Gyllenhaal gives an Oscar worthy performance, easily the best of his already impressive career. This isn't a movie about a boxer and his career, it's a movie about a struggling father who happens to be a boxer.