Captivating Narrative and Remarkable Jake Gyllenhaal's Performance Shades Story's Predictability

Rating: 8/10 (17 September 2015)

In addition to fantastic performances Southpaw has a great plot which keeps the public's attention the entire time even if it has a theme very recurring making it a bit cliché. Antoine Fuqua manages to create a movie which flows very well with scenes that carry a big emotional burden along with the ones which show the brutality and violence from the boxing's fights. Particularly the use of facial close-ups and POVs in the filming is very interesting, witnessing Billy Hope's fury explosion during the fights and the use POVs shots, the film brings the combat closer to the audience, creating greater immersion almost as if you became the boxer. The soundtrack mainly hip-hop songs is produced by Eminem, it's in charge of increasing the suspense when the act is in somehow related to the boxing matches such as the trainings or the boxing rounds themselves and the movie album surely helps to keep you on the edge of your seat. The injuries resulted from the fights is one of the details that makes the film stand out, due to the work which the makeup team did, it's impressive just how real they seem.
Forrest Whitaker plays Tick Wills, a strong and relentless coach. With his charisma, he delivers a solid performance, although remember the same passionate characters from his previous films. Maureen Hope (Rachel McAdams) and Leila Hope (Oona Laurence), mother and daughter respectively, their chemistry with Billy Hope(Jake Gyllenhaal) is noteworthy. Their characters are very well developed and believable, showing that the actors really committed to their roles. They also have the most tenses and heartbreaking scenes and you can feel their grief and hopelessness. Among all the good acting, Jake Gyllenhaal leaps out. His commitment to character and the body transformation made to be fit in this role are admirable. Once again, proving he's an excellent and promising actor who is capable of picking up different kinds of roles.