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Going into this movie as a hardcore fight fan, it was hard for me not to be excited. From the first trailer, while it showed way too much, I immediately wanted to watch the movie. Given the talented people involved all around the film, I expected a good movie. Instead, I witnessed a great one. Even though I thought the trailer showed a lot of the main plot points of the film, it didn't really take away from the film. In fact, all of the emotional parts (and there are a lot) still hit me the same way they would have even if I didn't know what was going to happen. Simply put, Southpaw delivers on every level. Let's go now into a more detailed look at this film.
**WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD**
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The overall acting in Southpaw is also very, very good. The physical transformation that Jake Gyllenhaal underwent is just mind-blowing. How he went from last year's Nightcrawler to this is beyond me. Gyllenhaal is fantastic when it comes to really becoming the character he is portraying, but it wasn't just his physicality that was noteworthy. At the beginning of the movie, Maureen (Rachel McAdams) tells Billy that if he keeps fighting the way he does then he's gonna end up punch-drunk in a matter of years. If you listen to Billy's voice, you can always detect a slight slur which is an indication that he's already early in the development of being punch-drunk. Despite all of these things that Gyllenhaal was able to accomplish as an actor, my absolute favorite part of his character was the ferocity with which he loved and fought for his family. Rachel McAdams was great in the short time she was there because right away she showed that she was the person who he depended on the most. Whether it was before his first fight in the film or at the charity event, you could see how vital she was to his success as well as overall well-being. After she dies, we see him lost and confused, not really able to make any decisions because as he said it himself, his wife used to make all of the decisions for him. There is a scene just after Maureen's funeral where his daughter Leila (Oona Laurence) is going to sleep and Billy walks in to turn the light off and she tells him that her Mom always leaves it on and as their conversation continues, you hear his voice breaking more and more until he just can't hold it in and breaks down in the hallway. It is a heartbreaking scene that serves to illustrate not just how much they loved Maureen, but also how important Maureen was even in the smallest of things.
Gyllenhaal wasn't the only great performer, however. Oona Laurence, at 12 years of age, was able to show an incredible amount of depth as an actress and did so while being alongside great actors such as Gyllenhaal and McAdams. She was able to pull off some very emotional scenes that are hard to imagine a 12-year old doing. The first time that Billy visits Leila after she is taken away from him, explodes and gives Billy a barrage of slaps to face while yelling that she hates him and that he should have been the one who died instead. I don't think there are many actors or actresses of her age that would have been able to make is a real and believable as she did. The rest of the cast was great too. From 50 Cent's portrayal of the despicable and self-serving fight promoter, Jordan Mains, to Forest Whitaker's depiction of the former fighter who became a trainer after losing sight in one eye during a fight, there are great performances all around.
Southpaw is dark, gritty, and extremely emotional, but there are also parts that will make you laugh and feel good about these characters. The plot itself is also good, as it tells the story of a man who after growing up with nothing, got everything he ever wanted, only for it all to be taken away and have to start from zero again. Sure, it may seem a bit generic for a boxing movie, but there is nothing wrong with that because it is executed in a different way than what we have previously seen. It is also important to note for those who have not seen this movie that it is not an easy movie to watch. It's not because of the amount of violence involved, but rather because it seems like a movie that intentionally tries to break your heart over and over again. Yet despite that, this is a journey that is worth being a part of. I was of the belief that Jake Gyllenhaal had a legit shot at winning an Oscar with his portrayal of Louis Bloom in Nightcrawler and was shocked to see that he didn't even get nominated. Even though the year is barely halfway through, I believe that this performance will be enough to get him nominated for the first time since Brokeback Mountain. I absolutely love this movie and could not recommend it highly enough. This is a 10/10 for me. It is a must-see film.
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