Film Review: 'Southpaw'

Jake Gyllenhaal doesn't pull any punches in the new film, "Southpaw." He's the real deal. Known for totally embodying the characters he portrays, he physically and mentally morphs into a successful boxer who loses everything.

In the opening scene, undefeated light-heavy weight champion Billy Hope (Gyllenhaal) is gearing up for a bout. Wife and childhood sweetheart, Maureen (Rachel McAdams) is there encouraging him "not to get hit too much." Billy's on top. The world is his oyster until suddenly he's blindsided and his life is in ruins.

But the loss of his wife and daughter (Oona Laurence) are what catapult him into the depths of despair. The press describes his fall from grace as "The Great White Dope." After hitting rock bottom, Billy realizes that the most valuable thing in life is gaining back the love and respect of his daughter. And he will fight to the death to retrieve it.

Billy hooks up with Tick Willis (Forest Whitaker), a trainer who runs a skid-row gym. Tick isn't at all eager to take him on but Billy's long lost inner fire has been reignited and extinguishing it is not an option.

Acclaimed director Antoine Fuqua ("Training Day" and "The Equalizer"), a boxer himself, knew how important the physicality of "Southpaw" had to be. When Gyllenhaal transformed his body (after having been rail-thin in "Nightcrawler") and learned to box, Fuqua knew he had his guy. He shoots the fight scenes in real time as we watch Gyllenhaal take some serious blows. Uncontrollable wincing and flinching is guaranteed as the action plays out.

And Gyllenhaal delivers it big time. He's almost unrecognizable as the barbaric Billy in the ring. But we also witness his raw and riveting emotional side when interacting with his daughter. His performance is a knockout on all levels, well deserving of lots of recognition. 

There are definitely moments in "Southpaw" which seem abundantly familiar. "Million Dollar Baby" and "Rocky" readily come to mind. And although the film is riddled with predictability, it's well worth watching a great actor get into character the manner in which Jake Gyllenhaal does ... triumphantly.