
Billy Hope (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) is the undisputed light-heavyweight boxing champion of the world. He is unbeaten over a career of 43 fights. He is happily married to beautiful Maureen (Rachel McAdams) and has a young daughter, Leila (Oona Laurence). His life seems perfect, but then, during a fracas with a rival boxer, his wife is shot and killed. They had known each other since they were 12 years old, and now the bottom has fallen out of his world. The death of his wif... (Full plot summary below)
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Billy Hope (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) is the undisputed light-heavyweight boxing champion of the world. He is unbeaten over a career of 43 fights. He is happily married to beautiful Maureen (Rachel McAdams) and has a young daughter, Leila (Oona Laurence). His life seems perfect, but then, during a fracas with a rival boxer, his wife is shot and killed. They had known each other since they were 12 years old, and now the bottom has fallen out of his world. The death of his wife sends Billy into a downward spiral, resulting in him being barred from professional boxing for a year, the loss of his house and almost all his possessions and, most painfully, the loss of his daughter to the custody of Social Services. In order to gain back his daughter and restart his life, he seeks out a particular trainer, Tick Wills (Forest Whitaker). Now he is starting his life again, at the bottom.
Leave your thoughts about Southpaw.
| Baret NewsKam WilliamsJake Gyllenhaal floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee in an Oscar-quality performance! |
| San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleThe experience of Southpaw is rather like seeing the truth behind the cliches, revived in all their pain and power to surprise. |
| AV ClubA.A. DowdPhysically speaking, the transformation is as impressive as the one Gyllenhaal underwent a year ago to embody the gaunt, wiry sociopath of "Nightcrawler." But was this character, a boxer battling the myriad conventions of his genre, really worth the training regimen that brought him to life? |
| Lyles' Movie FilesJeffrey LylesFuqua and Sutter don't spend the entire film chasing clichés and Gyllenhaal delivers such a strong performance that while it may at times be familiar, you'll remain engaged. |
| ComingSoon.netEdward DouglasAbout as close to a modern-day street level Rocky we may ever see. |
| Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyGyllenhaal’s Southpaw performance is great, but for reasons unrelated to his physique. He’s thrilling to watch and the only unpredictable thing in a two-hours-plus movie where you can count on one hand the number of moments that aren’t hand-me-downs from better boxing films like "Rocky," "Raging Bull," and "Fat City." |
| Salt Lake TribuneSean P. MeansSouthpaw is a powerful addition to the boxing genre, raw and tough and loaded with emotion. It packs quite a punch, one that audiences will feel long after the final bell rings. |
| Examiner.comChris SawinSouthpaw is a touching jab to the drama genre with a riveting uppercut of intensity and passion. Antoine Fuqua's latest is every bit as good as Warrior. |
| AllMovieViolet LeVoitWith this role, Gyllenhaal proves he's now entered that rare class of actors . . . who are such chameleons that they seem able to transform into any character. |
| HitFixGregory EllwoodUnfortunately, Southpaw descends into a tedious exercise of formulaic filmmaking that leaves you feeling worse for Gyllenhaal and Whitaker than the characters they play on screen. |