A fighter knows only one way to work.
✯✯✯ 1/2
When it comes to the quintessential boxing film, Rocky almost indubitably takes the title, with Raging Bull being the arguable runner-up or reigning champion. Sadly, boxing films seem to have taken a backseat to other more favorable, less brutal sports films that concern more "common" sports like golf or (American) football. That's where Southpaw comes in. Arriving in the midst of a trio of other forthcoming boxing films Hands of Stone and Creed, Southpaw does its best to be the Raging Bull of the 21st century, while mixing in some streetwise story elements from the Rocky series.
Jake Gyllenhaal is, of course, the best part of Southpaw. I haven't been disappointed by one of his films yet, and he gives a knockout (if you'll forgive the pun) performance. Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson proves that he is actually a decent actor, and I have apparently severely underestimated his talent. (I will not, however, be subjecting myself to his rap music, as I personally can't stand the genre- nothing against fans though.)
My biggest problem with the film was its subplot involving Leila, whom Billy (Gyllenhaal) is trying to gain custody of throughout part of the film. Some of the more intense and dramatic boxing moments are intermittently paused by moments between Billy and Leila at the Child Protective Services center. While these scenes are undoubtedly necessary to the plot and provide a great motivation for Billy, I felt that they could've been done so much better. They felt more like distractions from the main point of the film rather than providers of motivation, and while the scenes undoubtedly were meant to be the motivation for Billy, the drama and emotion that was supposed to be conveyed in these scenes were pretty much lost because of Oona Laurence, the actress who plays Leila. Perhaps if Antoine Fuqua had figured out a way to better convey these emotional moments to the audience, her performance would've connected better with me. Or perhaps they needed to find another actress to play her. Either way, I felt that there was something essentially missing from these scenes, notwithstanding her own performance.
However, when the film manages to focus on something other than the lackluster father-daughter relationship building, Southpaw manages to land some really decent hits with its fighting scenes. These scenes are very well done, and there's even a neat little training montage set to modern rap music, in a nice attempt to mirror Rocky's own iconic scene. I can understand why Fuqua chose to incorporate various rap songs into his film (not least of which was most likely due to 50 Cent himself), and they provided a good modernized feeling to the boxing scene. I still find myself preferring James Horner's own fantastic score over the more popular songs. They gave a nice throwback to the old Rocky films, and Horner even managed to subtly place a trumpet motif into the soundtrack that served as a decent homage to Rocky's flagship theme song.
While it certainly is not anything compared to it, Southpaw could possibly be described as the Rocky or the Raging Bull of our time. It takes story elements out of both films and mixes them into its own unique flair, creating a nice boxing movie for the 21st century film fans. Jake Gyllenhaal is fantastic, as always, is amazing as the ultimate "comeback" boxer in the film. 50 Cent actually managed to not annoy me, and at least I can say that Forrest Whitaker was in something good this year. The subplot involving custody of Billy Hope's daughter felt shoddily directed, and derailed a little bit from the better bits. While I can agree that it was completely necessary, I feel that Fuqua could have done a better job at directing these scenes, or at least casting the actress. I just hope she doesn't go the Jake Lloyd route. Southpaw isn't necessarily one of the best films of the year, but it definitely isn't the worst, and it's actually a sports film that I really liked. A traditionally solid performance from Gyllenhaal makes this film better than it would've been, and I honestly don't know if I would have seen it, had he not been the star. He's one of the best actors working today, and I always look forward to what he has coming out next. Southpaw could possibly prove to be the revival of the boxing film genre, and possibly revitalize the sports film genre as a whole. Get some great, well-known actors, writers, and directors involved, and we could have a slew of new-generation sports classics on our hands. The talent is out there, the directors and producers just have to go and find them.