I listed it as one of my Southpaw might be a bit of a stinker. I didn’t watch the first trailer after hearing it was a bit spoilerish, but I did peep a few seconds of this one and the brawl at what appears to be an awards ceremony followed by the gunshot and the death of… someone (maybe his longtime trainer?) seems a little on the nose, not to mention a little Rocky III, which isn’t all that bad… Rocky III might be a little steeped in stupidity, but it was still fun, the question is whether or not this movie will have a little fun, or if it will be too overly melodramatic. I don’t know, maybe I’m just nervous because I got my hopes up a little too high for this one.
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From acclaimed director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) and starring Academy Award® nominated Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler, Enemy) comes a story of tragedy, loss and the painful road to redemption… Billy “The Great” Hope (Gyllenhaal) is the reigning Junior Middleweight Champion whose unorthodox stance, the so-called “Southpaw,” consists of an in-eloquent, though brutal, display of offensive fighting…one fueled by his own feelings of inadequacy and a desperate need for love, money and fame. With a beautiful family, home and financial security, Billy is on top both in and out of the ring until a tragic accident leaves his wife dead and sends him into a downward spiral. His days now an endless haze of alcohol and prescription drugs, his daughter taken by Child Services and his home repossessed by the bank, Billy’s fate is all but sealed until a washed up former boxer named Tick agrees to take the bereaved pugilist under his wing so long as he agrees to his strict ethos. Relentless and utterly committed to a fighter that thinks as much as he throws punches, Tick rebuilds Billy into a new man: one that is agile, fearsome and uncompromising in the ring while thoughtful, loving and disciplined outside of it. Now, as he works to regain custody of his daughter and mounts a professional comeback, Billy must face his demons head-on as he learns that, sometimes, your greatest opponent can be yourself.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rachel McAdams, Naomie Harris, Forest Whitaker, Victor Ortiz, Tyrese Gibson, 50 Cent, Clare Foley, Beau Knapp, Oona Laurence and Rita Ora
In theaters: July 31, 2015
