The most under-rated film of the year

Rating: 10/10 (18 December 2015)

This film is a revelation. This year has been a revelation for boxing films. Both Southpaw and Creed have reinvigorated the genre to a place of excellence, and while Creed is getting the awards buzz and the attention, Southpaw is arguably the better film. Creed is brilliant, don't get me wrong, but Southpaw was just better. If you didn't smile when Billy knocked down Miguel in the last fight, or when Leila ran into his changing room post-fight, then you aren't human. The film also contains a lot of emotional acting which is usually seen in boxing films but not to this extent. The comeback of Billy Hope is as good as Rocky, so it's a shame to see this film slip under the radar. It still could get Oscar nods, but if every other award is to go by, Southpaw has been greatly misjudged, which is a terrible shame. The acting all-round is excellent. Jake Gyllenhaal's physical transformation is beyond impressive. It's a testament to the actor. While Sylvester Stallone is rightfully getting awards recognition for his reprisal of Rocky, Forest Whitaker is as good as Nick Nolte was in Warrior. With Nick getting an Oscar nod, the same could be said for Forest, but it seems Southpaw has been written off for awards, which is a shame as it belongs in the exact same boat as Creed. Both excellent films, they should both equally be getting recognition. Southpaw is the most under-rated film of the year purely because of Creed and Stallone's comeback to Rocky. This is the only reason why. If Creed were to have come out last year, or next year, then we would all be talking about Southpaw right now. End of