Southpaw (2015)

Southpaw: Directed by Antoine Fuqua. With Jake Gyllenhaal, Rachel McAdams, Forest Whitaker, Oona Laurence. After a fatal incident sends him on a rampant path of destruction, a champion boxer fights to get custody of his daughter and revive his professional career.

“We can always criticize Hollywood for bringing movies that are intended to toss some smoke to the viewer by presenting something new with repeated formulas and recycled plots we have seen somewhere else before. The same goes for u0026quot;Southpawu0026quot;… apart from the fact that thereu0026#39;s something more lying inside this story about a boxeru0026#39;s redemption. The answer to it is the trust it puts into the strength of its actors and the gripping emotions that come with it.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThereu0026#39;s a little sparkle that starts to light up inside of us during the very first minutes of the movie. And even if we barely have the time to see Gyllenhaal and McAdamsu0026#39; characters, we didnu0026#39;t need more because we were instantly dragged towards an emotional charge that never abandons the plot and whose u0026quot;legacyu0026quot; is carried on the main actoru0026#39;s shoulders.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eGyllenhaal doesnu0026#39;t skip a beat and keeps his characteru0026#39;s pain and rage constantly vivid in every detail – we feel it because weu0026#39;ve somewhat experienced in our lives what it means to lose someone we love and feel lost afterward. We felt the struggle coming after the loss of a bond as strong as that one. Thatu0026#39;s why his performance is relentless and immaculate.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eTruth is that the genuine side of u0026quot;Southpawu0026quot;u0026#39;s plot is based on the main characteru0026#39;s fall and his irreproachable route to stand up again, reach the top once more. Only this time, the fight has completely changed and the goals are different, goals that make us question what we really fight for in our life.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eYou already know this story but not told under these terms. Hollywood has crafted good flicks about fighters/boxers in the last few years and u0026quot;Southpawu0026quot; follows a line that is close to the more recent u0026quot;Warrioru0026quot;, starring Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy due to its u0026quot;underdogu0026quot; screenplay. What makes this movie different from the rest is the ineluctable emotion that never departs and befalls us, stirring and stirring our inner feelings.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWe donu0026#39;t always need to criticize a movie for its predictability. u0026quot;Southpawu0026quot; is predictable but itu0026#39;s also honest in assuming itself as such because its purpose – and I believe, Antoine Fuquau0026#39;s purpose – is to divert our attention towards something more meaningful. And when a movie pierces the bone to reach our heart and soul with this impact, then it deserves our respect and acknowledgment.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;Southpawu0026quot; is, quite simply, liberating.”