Shadowboxer
Tags: murder, flashback

Plot synopsis:
Mikey (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and his stepmother, Rose (Helen Mirren), are contract killers and lovers. The two continue with their line of work despite the fact that Rose is suffering from cancer.
Organized crime kingpin, Clayton (Stephen Dorff), suspects that his pregnant wife Vicki (Vanessa Ferlito) may have been unfaithful, so he hires Mikey and Rose to kill her. Upon entering Clayton's mansion, Rose heads for Vicki's bedroom while Vicki is on the phone with her best friend Neisha (Macy Gray). But as Rose enters Vicki's bedroom, Vicki's water breaks and she goes into labor. Taking pity on Vicki, Rose uses her prior medical training to deliver Vicki's baby, a boy she later names Anthony. Afterward, Mikey and Rose drive Vicki and her infant son to a local motel.
At Rose's request, Mikey calls Dr. Don (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Clayton's private doctor. Dr. Don arrives with his drug addicted nurse/lover, Precious (Mo'Nique). Dr. Don provides medical assistance to Vicki and her baby before leaving. Over Mikey's objections, Rose insists that they take Vicki and her infant son to a safe place. The four end up in Philadelphia.
Meanwhile, Neisha arrives at Clayton's mansion demanding to know where Vicki is. Clayton becomes nervous that Neisha knows too much and pays Mikey to kill her, which he does by poisoning. Mikey and Rose then move Vicki and her son to a house in upstate Pennsylvania. Mikey carries on with the contract killings alone as Rose has become too ill to accompany him.
At the baby's first birthday party, Rose decides she would rather die than suffer from cancer. She and Mikey have sex in the woods, and she has Mikey shoot her as she reaches orgasm. Before she dies, Rose makes Mikey promise to protect Vicki and her baby. Mikey, Vicki, and Anthony live safely for seven years.
Sometime later, Precious discovers Dr. Don performing oral sex on a patient. Hurt and betrayed, Precious leaves his office while threatening to get her revenge.
Vicki becomes concerned about Anthony when she sees him watching Mikey assemble a gun. She later asks Mikey to leave, saying that he does not have to protect them anymore. Mikey realizes that he has grown attached to Anthony and tells Vicki that he wants to stay.
Clayton finds out from Precious that Vicki and Anthony are alive. Clayton then kills Precious in front of Dr. Don's, then shoots him in the leg. Mikey, deciding that he no longer wants to kill, determines that his next contract kill will be his final one. When Mikey checks into a hotel he opens the file on his contract, only to find a picture of himself and Vicki leaving their house. Mikey then calls Vicki. Clayton's bodyguard instead answers the phone, causing Mikey to rush home and right into Clayton's trap.
Clayton tortures Mikey in the basement, in part by snipping off one of his fingers with a pair of hedge clippers. Vicki and Clayton's son, Anthony, are forced to watch. Clayton then turns around to taunt Vicki. At that moment, Mikey disarms the thug who held him down during the finger snipping. During the ensuing struggle, Mikey manages to overpower Clayton and the remaining thug also. Clayton, however, recovers and is about to shoot Mikey, when Anthony shoots Clayton in the back. After sending Vicki and Anthony outside, Mikey administers the coup de grace to Clayton's two unconscious thugs. Mikey then does the same to Clayton after commenting to him just how proud of Anthony Clayton probably is at that point, i.e., the young boy's use of a weapon.
Mikey, Vicki, and Anthony escape. Anthony ask Mikey if he is his son, Mikey replies that he is. Mikey also cautions Anthony to watch out for people like Clayton and his men; the boy responds, "We'll kill 'em."

Review: All of the characters are flawed and the brazen sexuality and raw emotional performances, by a superb cast, is hard to watch at times.
Cuba Gooding Jr, looking not much older than he was in the "Show me the money" days in his Oscar winning performance in Jerry Maguire, is superb.
I liked that the story's time-line was longer than just about any kind of crime thriller you'd see these days.This is definitely not a popcorn movie, and you will find yourself shocked at the violence and then moved by the touching scenes.
The grisly violence, intense sexuality and touching interdependence of the characters serve to underscore just how absurdly varying a life (or lives) can be.I think sometimes moviegoers expect too much from film.
Who would've imagined, Cuba Gooding Jr., Stephen Dorff and Helen Mirren (although only the latter is a real surprise here).
Shadowboxer Mr. Black's Grade: B Starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Helen Mirren.First-time director Lee Daniels, producer of two challenging projects, Monster's Ball and The Woodsman tries his hand behind the lens.
Mirren plays a female assassin who is diagnosed with cancer, and decides to carry out a final killing assisted by Gooding.Shadowboxer certainly is a dark film - think Prizzi's Honor but with a very different tone - but Helen Mirren handles this 'unique' relationship with tenderness and dignity.
He said that he is pursuing roles that allow humor to come from the actions of the character - like in this film - and not obvious comedy.
After films like Boat Trip and Snow Dogs, I did not think Cuba Gooding Jr. could pull off such a rich and textured character.
What Mirren and Gooding were doing in this half baked movie I don't know, they probably needed the cash but this performance stains their fame as serious actors.
Cuba Gooding is expressionless in lieu of looking tough (he probably hated the film and barely acted).
Finally I found Vanessa Ferlito's looks quite creepy - she seems to have been a victim of Michael Jackson's surgeon -check the nostril reduction/lips engorgement weirdness in the scene when she talks to Macy Gray on the phone!) All and all a movie to watch for laughs....
Yes, the story is interesting but a little bit fantastic- i'd loved the "tabu" scenes about the relationship between Rose and Mickey...the movie is about "strange" relations:Rose-Micky,Precious-Dr.Don, Vickie-Clayton.Vickie's role in the all picture is ...almost zero; I think her only duty is to make a connection between Micky and Anthony...
But somehow, Daniels manages to direct everyone right into a swirling vortex of overacting and ludicrously manipulative story lines.Nobody survives this perfect storm, except perhaps Mo'nique, whose turn as a crack-addicted nurse is the sole good performance in the film.The film also features some of the worst, most predictably bad writing that I have ever witnessed.
A cast that features Helen Mirren and Cuba Gooding, Jr. A film directed by one of the producers of "Monster's Ball" (2001) and "The Woodsman" (2004).So why does "Shadowboxer" feel so familiar?Screenwriter William Lipz's script tries awfully hard to upend the hit-man-for-hire genre and succeeds to an extent.
The trouble with "Shadowboxer" is that despite giving us rather absorbing characters - they may not be likable, but they are interesting and that's what I seek in a film - he doesn't give us a story that's all that unique.I can understand why Gooding took this role.
Instead of getting better roles, poor Gooding wound up in truly horrible movies - "Chill Factor" (1996), "Pearl Harbor" (2001), "Snow Dogs" (2002) and "Boat Trip" (2002).So playing Mikey, the hit-man with a more than slight Oedipal complex, might have seemed like an incredibly juicy role.
What were Helen Mirren and Cuba Gooding Jnr. thinking when they agreed to do this ?
It was lazy writing at its best.The worst thing about the film was that you have a black man like Gooding, coming off as this indentured slave boy for all of the Caucasian women in this film.
Different in a Good Way. I just watched this movie and enjoyed it for several reasons.
The other characters including the doctor and Precious were interesting played.I would suggest mature audiences would enjoy this movie, and even though full frontal nudity is involved, I believe it was done in good taste and fit the scenes, and did not exploit..
Cuba Gooding Jr, Stephen Dorff, Vanessa Ferlito, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are also excellent but, it is great to see and feel an equal great but perfect performance by Monique.
(Pretty good to look at as well!!) The film is well written and well acted with an excellent insight to the understanding of 'weird love' Love that is different.For example the thin doctor with the fat coke headed nurse-to Gooding Jnr being Mirrens step son but as he grew he fell in love with her and they had a passionate relationship-it may have been control but Mikey seemed to need that extra bit of looking after.It was one of those films that you felt compelled to watch even if some parts were a little distasteful it all made up to a very good and well written film.
All the actors are superb in their performances: Mirren- flawless; Gooding Jr.- Fantastic; Dorf- wonderfully sinister; Monique - Lovely; Gordon-Levitt - too cool Williams - brilliant went beyond what CWms3 does -- scary.
In this movie, it is the 50-60 year old Helen Mirren with the 20-30 year old Cuba Gooding Jr. The sex scenes in this movie are scorching hot.
Her acting choices, as usual, are brilliant as she creates a memorable and believable character.Cuba Gooding, on the other hand, is not quite so good in his role.
why Helen choose to do this movie i don't know, the acting is good, by everyone but with a storyline a little weak, there isn't much Helen or Cuba can do.
and by the way, is it just me, or has Cuba Gooding made really bad movies since he won the Oscar?.
I think this was a solid movie with a good script and story.
The movie was cast with some very very good actors such as Helen Mirren and Cuba Gooding..
Of course, Cuba Gooding, Jr., and Helen Mirren are favorite actors of mine, and they played their roles superbly.
I was actually walking into this one with Cuba Gooding Jr.s' recent DTV flops ("Hardwired", "Lies & Illusions") in mind, and I was curious to see what he was like in his hayday.Cuba and Helen Mirren are two assassins/lovers, who have been assigned to terminate the wife (Vanessa Ferlito) of a big-time gang boss (Stephen Dorff) after she may have slept with another man.
"Shadowboxer" is kind of like a strobe light in that you know you should look away as to not damage your eyes, but it's captivating and reels you in to the point where you cannot tear your eyes away.Cuba Gooding Jr. apparently has less then 40 lines in the film, but he's got a presence on screen, which I suppose I can measure to Javier Bardem's role in "No Country for Old Men".
it's just a matter of time before they become rats.Oh, and while all of this is happening, the stepmother(Helen Mirren) has cancer of some sort, their victim appears to fall in love with her son(Cuba Gooding Jr.), the victim's son seems to have some sort of assassin thing going on, and the son wants to quit the killing lifestyle because he doesn't want to hurt anymore parents, i guess.
I never mind sexuality in movies and actually prefer it to violence, but in this, all the sex scenes are so joyless and so graphic, almost violent.Aside from these, the major flaw in the film is the fact that, despite all the character development, there wasn't a single likable character in the whole film.
If you don't like movies where the endings are tied up in a tight little box, this comes close...now they did clean up the ending to the climax BUT it's still a good movie, very raw, lots of sexy moments and no I am not 60, no way near it - but when I am, I would love to have me a Cuba!
Shadowboxer is a triumph of good acting for every single actor in the movie.
Cuba Gooding is understated, authentic, and very believable in this role, as is Helen Mirren.
Looking forward to seeing Cuba Gooding in more movies like this (or for that matter, any other movies), and just looking forward to seeing Helen Mirren in any future movie.
Instead of the typical assassin movie with plenty of activity, new director Lee Daniels has created a different character driven drama with plenty of difficult scenes that allow Cuba Gooding Jr's character to be one of the most riveting in years.
I believe within this script was the shell of a real blockbuster event if the development of the new family was given more time and focus particularly either the character of Cuba Gooding.
But for me fails with it's unfocused script and story.It is the story of a couple of assassins played my Cuba Gooding Jr and Helen Mirren.
the film also has multiple scenes of sex and violence which seem forced, and lead to a quite predictable and unsatisfying ending.Good things about the film are that Lee Daniels has an interesting style, in the way the film was shot.
The acting as expected was top notch with Helen Mirren being her usual watchable self, and Cuba Gooding remembering that he is a talented actor worth peoples time.
Also worth a look for a glimpse at a younger Joseph Gordon-Levitt.A thought-provoking attempt by Lee Daniels, and a good film to kick start his career, and develop his talents which we later see with Precious and hopefully with the Paperboy..
To be honest I think this is one of the few movies where I saw some intense stuff from Cuba Gooding Jr. however I feel the antagonist could have been a little more satirical and Joseph Gordon was simply wasted in this film.
Mirren did OK and the lady love Vanessa Ferlito was expressionless however the plot was interesting.When the question comes to execution this movie is somewhat derailed despite the futile effort of the director, I guess it shows the weakness in the script.
During their last joint kill for mafia kingpin Clayton (played ruthlessly by Stephen Dorff) Rose finds herself unable to assassinate his pregnant wife and instead decides to assimilate her into her dysfunctional little household.Stylized with some noirish feel and a touch of European art-house Lee Daniels (of "Precious" fame) debut feature is a mixed bag rather brutally dissected by most critics as a failed adventure into weird and whack.
However the general consensus is that Cuba Gooding Jr, Helen Mirren and Stephen Dorff lift the movie, the feeling among the professionals is that this is a failed mixture of styles and forms.
Despite the potentially groundbreaking script all these fallacies hit too many bad notes, essentially making the watch fascinating, but at the same time irking viewers to point out what's wrong with various scenes, gimmicks and ideas, instead of focusing on the story at hand..
Adding a very sensuous quality to a rather sexual (I don't find the film except in a few scenes with Helen and Cuba to be on the sensuous side) script.I appreciate some of the images Lee Daniels achieves especially in the opening sequences.
If you enjoy edge strange weird sexual violent off the wall entertainment, coming from a very interesting new talent (Lee Daniels) and if you are a fan of Helen Mirren, Cuba Gooding, other members of the cast - watch this film.
"Shadowboxer" is a strange movie, perhaps one of the strangest I've seen, and although it doesn't quite work it's still worth watching if you want to see a filmmaker take huge risks, fail, but still succeed at making something...unique.
It stars Cuba Gooding Jr. as slave/lover to his stepmom, played by Helen Mirren.
Her, Gooding and Ferlito run off together, forming a strange family unit, while Dorff goes on for years believing the job's been done.The bulk of the movie takes place in the house shared by Mirren, Gooding, Ferlito and eventually her newborn son.
If you are tempted to watch this for Helen Mirren, however, you'd do much better to pick one of the 'Prime Suspect' films off the shelf.Much is made in the film's publicity of the unusual relationships between the central characters, but they are barely explored and still less explained, simply taken for granted and illustrated in a few dramatically shot scenes.Given the plot, I didn't find the violence or the occasional nudity gratuitous.
By its own standards, the film works: it's a good story (if somewhat unbelievable at times).
The film contains strong performances from Helen Mirren and Gordon Levitt Hewitt.
If this is, a low budget, than yes it is a good movie, acting was average although characters mix was a bit odd.I can see why no big commercial would invest in it, it was just slow.The story was not bad, just slow.
I liked the performances by Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Helen Mirren, and a decent job by Vanessa Ferlito (who I found difficult to enjoy when she appeared in season 3 of "24").
Joseph Gordon Levitt, Monique and Stephen Dorff give game performances, but even the great Helen Mirren can't overcome Daniels' ham-handed direction.
Nearly all the professional critics panned this film, saying how over-the-top violent it is from start to finish (not true; there is violence but not throughout), how convoluted the story is (it's very easy to follow - you'd have to be an idiot not to be able to understand what's going on), how bad the acting is (an outright lie), and how gross the sex scenes between Helen Mirren and Cuba Gooding Jr are (they worked for me).
Maybe in a few years or so, more people will discover this movie for themselves and find out how really good it actually is.The film has a palpable doomed sort of atmosphere, which serves the project brilliantly, since all the major characters are seriously compromised in one way or another.
Helen Mirren brings the full brunt of her amazing ability to tap into the humanity of any character she portrays, Cuba Gooding Jr is perfect in a role that finally allows him to display at least some of his depth, Joseph Gordon-Levitt shines as always, Dorff comes through as he always does; even Macy Gray is good in this movie and I am not a fan.The problem, I think, is that the critics were comparing this to other movies, specifically Quentin Tarantino's, and this is completely unfair.
Granted there are some moments of quiet and beauty in all of this mess, but the true reason for sitting through it is the always satisfying presence of Helen Mirren (who actually gets us to believe her preposterous character and motivation) and Cuba Gooding, Jr.
I really empathized with the character's plight and the actions Cuba Gooding takes to ease her suffering.I can not wait to see Helen Mirren's next film.
Cuba Gooding Jr. plays it coldly robotic, but portrays his character's inner workings with simple expressions and the elegance of Helen Mirren adds class, but still confuses.
The basic idea of the story line wasn't a bad one, it just didn't move as quickly as it could have.I think Cuba Gooding Jr.'s acting was very stiff and not of his usual caliber.
"Shadowboxer" (2005) Directed By: Lee Daniels Starring: Cuba Gooding Jr., Helen Mirren, Stephen Dorff, Vanessa Ferlito, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mo'Nique, & Macy Gray MPAA Rating: "R" (for strong graphic violence and sexuality, nudity, language and some drug use)Every year, at least one actress gives the definitive performance of her lifetime.
"Shadowboxer" is the movie that Helen Mirren will look back on with shame.
Rose (Mirren) and Mikey (Gooding) are two assassins who have been having an affair for quite some time.
Cuba Gooding Jr. is also a good actorbut he has made mistake after mistake in choosing movie roles and "Shadowboxer" may very well be his biggest mistake yet.
Cuba Gooding Jr and Helen Mirren are hit men lovers who fail to kill a pregnant woman and so take it on the lamb.Good but unremarkable noirish tale isn't worth much beyond being a time killer.
Who ever thought of pairing Cuba Gooding with Mirren should be rewarded since it keeps things interesting from the get go.
I cannot believe that Cuba Gooding Jr could have done such a bad movie.
The result is one of the weirdest, most amateurish Hollywood films I've seen, a frankly embarrassing blot on the careers of those involved.A slumming-it Cuba Gooding Jr. plays a top assassin who just so happens to be having an affair with the miscast Helen Mirren, another assassin who is dying of cancer.
Mirren and Gooding are above this kind of stuff, but some how they are both game for this movie.
I, too, was taken in by thinking Cuba Gooding and Helen Mirren might make a good movie together.
Helen has cancer, so Cuba goes along with it.This film tried to cross so many 'over the top' lines that it is exactly as one viewer said...a mix of pornography and a BAD b movie.I will not even dignify the trash with comments, only I advise everyone to skip this one and not waste the time or any money on even renting this piece of trash.This is the type of film that could hook kids into pornography and violence.
Maybe - as far as the role can go.Is Helen any good in this film?
I could almost believe Mirren & Gooding.This film debases everybody in it.
Rose(Helen Mirren), is an assassin working with her stepson, who is also her lover, Mikey(Cuba Gooding, Jr.).