REVIEW: Southpaw is a lethal concoction of drama and pugilistic action. The film's bland scripting put its lead character through a circle of physical and emotional suffering. Jake Gyllenhaal skillfully moulds himself into the character of Billy Hope whose dwindling career in boxing is revived after life forces him to stand up for his daughter. Billy's character is quite that of a man child, who runs by the decisions taken either by his wife Maurie or his manager.
After a bloody match, Maurie is the first to sense that Billy is losing his edge. But, as fate would have it, an accident kills her leaving Billy emotionally derailed, in debt and left to re-build his life from scratch. It's a predictable story which relies solely on the performance of its lead man.
Director Antoine Fuqua extracts a dazzling act from Jake who is supported by a neatly-scripted story which might miss the streak of genius but is earnestly heart-felt. There is no melodrama which drives home the film's punches swifter. The thing with these sport movies is that impact works better than nuances. Not that it is any less fun watching Jake's Billy master his defense strokes, but it is the film's sentimentality that scores over its well-choreographed punches.
Jake is winsome in the physically demanding role. He has the perfectly-sculpted abs, the correct postures, seething with anger in his brawls and filled with love as he carefully caresses his daughter's tresses. With his flawed diction and pitch-perfect demeanouris a Jake-show all along as he takes us through the agonizing discipline of boxer's routine.
With a heartening story in tow, the film transforms a regular tale of suffering, loss and redemption extraordinarily. Though laden with cliches, it is consistently hard-hitting and never loses plot. The right blend of heart and skill works in suffusing an operatic feel to the movie which is an absolute knockout.
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