Southpaw

With Southpaw we have a great example of top notch performances from a cast that must've fully believed in the overall outcome of Antoine Fuqua's vision. And why not? For the most part Fuqua's films have provided a breath of fresh air to the action suspense genre, albeit with overlooked flaws which, unfortunately, are more pronounced when cooking up a feel-good sports drama. 

However, before I go into detail regarding the to-be-desired storytelling, I would point out that casting Jake Gyllenhaal was a mistake in spite of his fine acting performance. There is always a bit of crazy behind Gyllenhaal's eyes and an intelligent exterior most fitting for neutral to devilish characters. This film wants you to care so much about the story that at nearly every turn it not so subtly strives to collect tears from the audience, not easily achievable with a borderline likable main character.

Getting back to the storyline, one problem is the use of contrived subplots which has been a staple of Fuqua's films but more easily forgiven in previous outings. These undeveloped subplots are conveniently placed or plopped in the middle of the film in such clumsy fashion that any sensible viewer would scratch her head and perhaps vocalize a "hmm," then quickly conclude that something big is about to happen with the main plot. Just lazily constructed writing, no other way around that. I hope Fuqua addresses that shortcoming because it would go a long way in taking his films to the next level. The storyline also suffers from plot holes and inconsistencies, a teeter-tottering of quality for sure.

Overall, Southpaw was a fair movie that tried unsuccessfully to jam Rocky 1, 2 and 3 all into one film. Stellar acting performances all around but a bumbling screenplay knocks out any chance of Southpaw being a memorable boxing flick. MHM recommends The Fighter with Christian Bale as an alternative for those in search of a quality ringside film seat. 2.5/5.
Genre: Drama
Directed By: Antoine Fuqua