Southpaw (2015)
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A champion boxer must fight to reclaim his life and his daughter's custody after a tragic loss.
The story
Professional boxer Billy "the Great" Hope, the reigning champion in the Light Heavyweight division, lives in New York City with his wife, Maureen, and their daughter, Leila. During a high-stakes match at Madison Square Garden, Billy suffers a severe facial injury but manages to win. However, the victory is overshadowed by a confrontation with a rising rival, Miguel "Magic" Escobar. Following a tragic incident involving a gunshot that claims Maureen's life, Billy spirals into a downward spiral of substance abuse and legal troubles. With his home seized and his daughter placed in the care of Child Protective Services, Billy must find a way to rebuild his life and career while seeking redemption.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After his wife Maureen is killed in a brawl involving a rival boxer's brother, Billy "the Great" Hope falls into a spiral of drug and alcohol abuse. He loses his home, his training team, and his daughter, Leila, who is placed under the guardianship of Angela Rivera. Billy finds a new sense of purpose at the Wills Gym, where he works as a janitor and trains under the guidance of Titus "Tick" Wills. He eventually wins back the affection of his daughter and prepares for a high-stakes rematch against Miguel "Magic" Escobar. During the fight, Miguel insults Maureen's death, causing Billy to momentarily lose focus. After receiving advice from Tick, Billy refocuses and delivers a powerful left uppercut, knocking Miguel down. Billy wins the fight by a split decision and is crowned the new champion. In the aftermath, he reconciles with his daughter and finds peace at Maureen's grave.
- First release year
- 2015
- Runtime (minutes)
- 123
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Antoine Fuqua
- Writers
- Kurt Sutter · writer
- Cast and characters
- Jake Gyllenhaal · Billy "the Great" Hope; Forest Whitaker · Titus "Tick" Wills; Rachel McAdams · Maureen Hope; Oona Laurence · Leila Hope; Naomie Harris · Angela Rivera; Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson · Jordan Mains; Miguel Gomez · Miguel "Magic" Escobar; Danny Henriquez · Hector Escobar
- Genres
- sports drama
- Themes
- redemption; fatherhood; grief
- Tone and mood
- dramatic; intense
- Premise and plot tags
- boxing; sports drama
- Content notes
- substance abuse
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, while Gyllenhaal and Oona Laurence's performances received positive reviews.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 59% · scale: percentage · review count: 238; Metacritic · score: 57 · scale: 100 · review count: 42; CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- The film was one of the last to be scored by James Horner.; The film was originally intended to be set in Detroit.; Eminem was originally cast to play the lead role of Billy Hope.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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