The Ring That Mattered, Was Hers.

Rating: 8/10 (16 October 2016)

Have we seen this story a million times before? Yes, sure, we have. Southpaw however says; "So What"!!!
This movie had emotional engagement, which is why when Billy lost the woman wearing his ring, we as the viewers felt the loss too. Rachel McAdams is so stunning in front of the camera, that we really did just need the first quarter, to fall in love with her character.
Jake Gyllenhaal was superb. Billy was a wreck and Jake sold it. You really do feel the inevitability of everything falling apart around him, and once it does, though very predictable, you're still so heavily invested in Billy and Leila that you're still asking yourself; "Billy, why didn't you listen to her in the first place".
The pace and structure of the film however, like the Japanese Gyro- Top, though still rapidly spinning, would tend to seem like it's about to topple over. However, Antoine maintained an emotional connection with the viewer, to a point where, even you as the viewer, would choose to hold on to the feeling, thus the top, kept spinning, with Antoine and Jake continuing the necessary momentum.
The Jab-Cross-Left Uppercut-Cross combination of Antoine Fuqua, Jake Gyllenhaal, Rachel McAdams and James Horner, like Billy's final move on Escobar, is a knock-out, and though you may recover from it... The points still tip against you.
So yeah, 8/10 for this one. Very enjoyable and oh so, poignant.
In Memory of James Horner.