SouthPaw Packs a Big Punch

From acclaimed director Antoine Fuqua (TRAINING DAY) comes the underdog movie of the year SouthPaw.

What happens on July 24 will define his legacy.              ©2015 WEINSTEIN FILMS.

A champion boxer (Jake Gyllenhaal) Billy Hope loses everything after his life tragically unravels and falls apart. The once great champ is humbled as he tumbles from the pinnacle of his career into obscurity. Billy must fight back in order to save not only his career but his family.

As Billy loses everything he discovers, like many do who his real friends are. His manager (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson) and friends leave him behind as soon as he has nothing to offer. Billy finally hits rock bottom when he loses his house, cars and everything in it including his daughter.

Seeking redemption he seeks out the trainer of the only fighter that had ever beat him. He finds Tick Willis (Forest Whitaker) is a rundown gym teaching inner city youth how to box.

From the orphanage in hell’s kitchen to a professional career fighting in Madison Square Garden is a distance of only a few blocks.

With Tick in Billy’s corner he begins the biggest fight of his career. He fights his own demons and past as he begins the journey back to redemption.  Tick becomes Billy’s mentor and trainer, exposing his greatest weakness, his temper, and instructs him how to fight with his brain, rather than his usual method of “stopping punches with your face.”

The scenes in the movie are perfectly sculptured by Fugua as the grit and drama is felt with every punch. It has been awhile that a movie has the whole audience ducking and jiving as the fights proceed. Also when is the last time the audience clapped and cheered since the first couple of Rocky films? For a fast paced hard-hitting film the scenes are poetically done in a manner where they are not rushed.

Southpaw is a film of redemption and courage. Proving that even if you lose everything that matters in this world, if you still have the heart you can win.

If you are looking for a film with a lot of action, a bit of blood along with a great story line SouthPaw is your film. There is plenty of angst and graphic depiction of fights to go all rounds. This is not a film for the lighthearted as the language is a bit pervasive and hard-hitting as the punches. 

I would love to hear your thoughts on SouthPaw if you get a chance to see it. What do you think of the film?