SOUTHPAW - Saturday 22nd August 2015.

'SOUTHPAW' which I saw last night, is a film that owes a lot to Sylvester Stallone - the Writer and Star of the 1976 classic boxing film 'Rocky' that won three Academy Awards, was made for just US1.1M and grossed over US$225M and spawned five sequels with another indirect instalment due in November this year - 'Creed'. All of that said there are many similarities between these two films that makes it hard not to draw comparisons, but, this is a respectable film with a solid enough story and its pugilistic star Jake Gyllenhaal as World Light Heavyweight Champion Billy Hope is a standout for a number of reasons.

In case you didn't know BTW, a 'Southpaw' is a left handed Boxer, and in this case we refer to here one very talented, beefed up, toned up, muscled up, six pack brandishing Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead role who lost 10kgs of weight for his last offering (the excellent 'Nightcrawler') to packing on 16kgs of muscle for this film, and it shows! Directed by Antoine Fuqua this film was made for US$25M and has already raked in over US$65M since its 24th July release Stateside.

Unlike Rocky Balboa's story of a down at heel boxing bum whose grit & determination see him rise up in a rags to riches tale, this is a riches to rags telling of a no hope boxing bum kid who has already risen up and is now at the top of his game and enjoys all the trappings of success. He has a huge house in New York, a fleet of cars at his disposal, his child Leila (Oona Laurence) is at private school and his pretty wife Maureen (Rachel McAdams) organises his life in almost every respect. Plus, he has an entourage of trainers, assistants, a manager Jordan Mains (Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson) an accountant, housemaids and so on. Life is good and he's just defended his title and won! What could possibly go wrong?

Well, you could get into a brawl at a charity event at which you have just spoken, be confronted by a challenger for your title who also disrespects your wife in public, and then she gets accidentally shot, bleeds out and dies in your arms while dozens of onlookers stand around gawping and helpless! Exit stage left Maureen, thanks for coming and rest in peace while Billy's life spirals out of control, he drinks, takes drugs, contemplates suicide, looses custody of his precious Leila, the house gets repossessed, the cars sold and everything he owns is gone!

To regain custody of his daughter he must prove to the courts that he is capable of providing for her in a responsible mature manner which recently has been beyond him. We see him as his life implodes and he struggles to come to terms with the sudden death of his wife, his new responsibilities, his rapidly dwindling wealth, he's out on the street and everyone has abandoned him as a no hoper has-been now.

He joins a back street gym to keep fit and get a cleaning job. That gym is owned and operated by former boxer Titus 'Tick' Wills (Forest Whitaker) - sounds like familiar territory when Rocky teamed up with Mickey Goldmill (Burgess Meredith) - and gradually over time the two win a mutual respect for each other. Tick agrees to (re)train Billy back to fighting strength and agility for a chance at redemption against the challenger Miguel 'Magic' Escobar (Miguel Gomez) who taunted him that ill fated night of Maureen's shooting. What follows is a back to basics low-tech training regime the like of which we saw in 'Rocky' too with Tick, like Mickey, proclaiming that it has to be done his way, or its the highway!

Amidst all of this Billy is still trying to convince the authorities that he is fit to take back charge of his daughter, but they remain unconvinced so she remains in the stewardship of Child Services, steadily distancing herself from him. All comes good in the end though as Billy accepts what he must do in order to win back his daughter and reclaim his place in boxing history, as well as his integrity having fallen so publicly from grace. With six weeks only to the big showdown at Caesar's Palace the pressure is on from a personal and professional level.

The final fight scene sees Billy reunited with Leila and she watches on from the comfort of a suite in the arena while Billy and Escobar go head to head in the ring, with Billy very much the underdog (as was Rocky when he went head to head against Apollo Creed). Round after round the two pugilists pummel each other with the fight not expecting to go beyond three of four rounds (cue another 'Rocky' marker) but of course it does, all the way up to a bloody embattled twelve when with a killer southpaw punch Escobar is sent flying horizontally backwards amidst arcs of glorious blood and sweat slo-mo. In the final analysis Billy is declared the winner by a split decision (in 'Rocky', Creed was declared the winner by a split decision too which set up 'Rocky II' nicely for the rematch of the century), and Billy and Leila live happily ever after, we assume, and once again all is good in the world.

I don't mind a pugilistic film offering at all and have seen many, and when it stars Jake Gyllenhaal what other reason to you need to see a film? His transformation into the role physically is impressive, and his lost fractured and struggling character is a testament to his range. The story may be familiar, offering little that is original or new, but it is the deft hand of the Director, there are strong performances from its lead especially and solid believable dialogue that carry this film forward, and ensures it punches above its weight. But, unlike Rocky it didn't keep me on the edge of my seat in the all important boxing ring sequences that for me make this a lesser offering . . . but only just!



-Steve, at Odeon Online-