Southpaw works despite being predictable.

-
  SOUTHPAW, stars Jake Gyllenhaal as light heavyweight boxing champion Billy Hope. Without giving anything away(the trailer does a good job at that, so don't watch) SOUTHPAW is a predictable boxing drama. The first quarter of the movie is exactly like a Rocky movie. Thankfully, the core of the movie is the second act - part family drama,part redemption tale until we get to the third act, which turns back into a predictable Rocky movie.
   Jake Gyllenhaal gives one of his best performances of his career. His performance is so good that it works against the boxing cliches. Forest Whitaker is also very good as a trainer who takes a chance on Billy Hope when no one else will.
 To reiterate, the first and third acts of SOUTHPAW almost cripple the film, if not for Gyllenhaal's Oscar worthy performance, Antoine Fuqua's good direction and the solid second act. I am leaving out certain things about the movie because I try not to get into spoiler territory if I can help it.
  If you like boxing movies, then you'll probably like this, but don't expect anything original.
And if you don't, well skip it.
  I give SOUTHPAW a B.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Movie Review: DADDY'S HOME 2

-
Image
   Movies like DADDY'S HOME 2 are made for two things- to entertain and to make people laugh. That is exactly what this sequel to the hit DADDY'S HOME succeeds in doing. Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg return as Brad and Dusty, co-dad's to Sara's(Linda Cardellini) two children, as well as much of the original cast. To recap the first one, Brad (Ferrell) is the step-dad to Sara's(Cardellini) two children who finds himself competing with the real Dad, Dusty(Walhberg) for the title of Dad.   With DADDY's HOME 2, we get the Grandfathers added to the mix. Mel Gibson as Dusty's Dad, Kurt and John Lithgow as Brad's Dad, Don. Gibson is stunt casting while Lithgow's performance is indicative of his award-winning career. Lithgow plays a comedic role in dramatic fashion. It could be the other way around as well. One of the things had a problem with in this movie is Gibson's performance, which I found to be a lackluster performance. It as if Gibson is just ...
Read more

Review: ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD (2019)

-
Image
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood(2019) Rated R; Run Time:2 hours and 41 minutes Written and Directed by Quentin Tarantino Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is about a washed up actor named Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his best friend/Stunt Double, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) in 1969 Hollywood, who struggle to keep their careers afloat in a time when the industry was more focused on the next big star and always ready to throw dirt on fading, aging movie stars, like Rick Dalton. Once is an original film from legendary writer/director, Quentin Tarantino and features two excellent performances from DiCaprio and Pitt, both appearing together in a film for the first time. Their onscreen chemistry is the #1 reason to see this film. The story unfolds like reading a novel, an activity that is lost on people in these fast paced information  loaded Internet days we live in. It rewards the patient moviegoer who is willing to give th...
Read more
-
Image
MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE-GHOST PROTOCOL       The forth entry in the MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE franchise is the best of the bunch.        Every scene is set up masterfully by screenwriters Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec and director Brad Bird. I will give most of the credit to Brad Bird. This is his live action directing debut and it is nothing short out outstanding. You might recognize his previous three animated directing efforts-THE IRON GIANT,THE INCREDIBLES and RATATOUILLE. I cannot describe in words the action sequences this man has created. They are simply breathtaking.       Now to Tom Cruise.       The man has been in career meltdown ever since jumping on Oprah's couch and spouting off his views of Scientology. This is his comeback film. The man is in top action form here. I'll go as far to say that this is his best action performance since MINORITY REPORT. His performance is the glue to the whole movie.Without him, you...
Read more