Could Have Been A Contender

Rating: 6/10 (24 July 2015)

Southpaw comes at you from many directions, but does it connect? That's what Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, Olympus Has Fallen) and crew are pinning their housenotes on in their take on the world of boxing.
Jake Gyllenhaal plays an amped up throwback of both the boxing and human variety and puts in an excellent portrayal. Billy Hope (Gyllenhaal) is the light-heavyweight world champ with a great wife and cute little daughter to support him. The only problem is he might be getting a bit too mature for taking on shots to the dome and should stop. Unfortunately he doesn't want to.
Fans of the "sweet science" on film will certainly like the look and feel of Southpaw. Colors are crisp, camera angles, edits, choreography and cinematography especially during the fight segments are well above average. Besides these aspects, film fans in general might like other components of the film from set and costume design (except maybe Curtis Jackson's character), to the music and acting. If you don't like realistic boxing sequences, then close your eyes for the fight scenes. No to worry, there are some performances worth watching outside of the ring.
As Billy's business savvy wife, Rachel McAdams should have been included more. Maureen is sassy, sexy, smart and cares deeply about her family. McAdams looks and acts the part without a hitch, but the plot goes in a different direction. About two thirds into Southpaw, Billy goes under the tutelage of Tick Willis (Forest Whitaker) to take on bouts for money and for a job. Whitaker is great as (of course) a gruff, world weary gym owner, mentor, trainer. The interplay between Tick and Billy are one of the saving graces of Southpaw. Thanks to Kurt Sutter, these characters get off some of the films best dialog and one liners. Billy showing up at one of Tick's haunts and the responses during his outbursts are prime examples.
As briefly mentioned Gyllenhall is amazing in Southpaw. If you hear comparisons to De Niro or Stallone, that may be about right. Billy is the guy you want to root for. You feel for him in more ways than one, one of which is probably because he's a little off. The guy mumbles and your not sure if he's punch drunk and then you realize that he's not sure either. Besides his almost incomprehensible speech, he's wound tight. At one moment an almost homicidal maniac, then training kids how to move their feet in the ring. From his posture, speech, mannerisms, to throwing a punch, Gyllenhaal did his homework.
Still there are perhaps glaring deficiencies in Southpaw. There is something that doesn't seem authentic. Most disconcerting would be the lack of medical professionals surrounding Billy Hope's world and boxing in general. Every time there's a shot of him in the locker room after a fight, there are no doctors to be found. The guy takes on a beating, blood coming out of his mouth, eye swollen shut, but nobody taking a look at him? Not to mention doing a scan every once in a while to make sure his brain hasn't turned to oatmeal. Would it have put the film over budget to cast a doctor or two? There are no weigh ins, only one press conference where there should be one before every fight, if not to make it more entertaining between combatants. The verbal fight before the actual fight. Then there's the issue of his little girl (nice job by Oona Laurence) at home by herself. They show her with someone who may be a nanny one time, other than that she is alone in the family's huge mansion for stretches of the film. She even rides in a limousine by herself after a funeral while her dad sits on a hill. No follow up on the murder of a key player? Nitpicking? Maybe, but these and other omissions detract from vaulting Southpaw to the next level.
If you are able not to scrutinize Southpaw too much, it is a very good film. Gyllenhaal's whirling dervish performance will cover up a lot of the missteps. Unfortunately, the filmmakers failed to focus on other aspects that could have put it along some of the greats of the genre.

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