May this serve as a reminder that no matter what you may be experiencing, there is freedom and rest on the other side. So do not fear you are worth more than many sparrows,” Matthew 10:31. Isn’t that cool? How God uses His creation to paint pictures of redemption and healing, of joy and hope, and of freedom and peace. I love birds and their reminder that freedom and rest aren’t far away.

With a movie that relies heavily on its cliched genre, Southpaw suffers more from its darkness rather than its redemption into the light for our character Hope.Some poetry for this beautiful, sunny Monday. The ending knockout might have even been computer generated if I caught it right. The fight scenes are brutal, but actually feel more like a video game with so many punches landing rather than an exposition for an actual boxing match. I don't think I have liked anything he's done since his time on The Shield almost ten years ago. The juxtaposition of the excitement of the game with Henry’s growing awareness of what goes on in hotels and trains turns The Southpaw into a triumph of comic realism. At least here, we get the former rather than the latter like in Taken 3, which means he at least put effort into the character. The biggest issue I continue to have in THIS guy's movies, and this guy being Forest Whitaker, is his choice to either over act or mail it in. The daughter I suppose was played well enough by Clare Foley, but it was more of a fake cry on cue kind of performance. Most of her (and Hope's) backstory comes from exposition after the fact.

It was almost impersonal without getting her on screen for more than 20 minutes. Hope's revenge on his character doesn't feel grounded other than the fact he said a few words to ignite those flames of passion to give us an angry man before and after Rachel McAdam's character's death.

I don't think I've ever seen someone act like such a smart guy one minute and completely flip to idiocy the next. I was really at a loss with the 'villain' of the film played by Victor Ortiz. While Jake Gyllenhaal commands the screen as Billy Hope's 'came up through the system' champion with a committed performance both in physicality and emotion, most of the time, 'Southpaw' beats you so far into the mat with misery it's tough to enjoy. The tale of redemption is one as old as time when it comes to seeing someone get beat down and get back up only to find the success they lost found once again. Rating: R (Some Violence|Language Throughout)īoxing movies can be tough to bring out on the screen from the paper they are written on. With his future on the line, Hope fights to reclaim the trust of those he loves the most. He soon finds an unlikely savior in Tick Willis (Forest Whitaker), a former fighter who trains the city's toughest amateur boxers. However, when tragedy strikes, Billy hits rock bottom, losing his family, his house and his manager. Billy 'The Great' Hope (Jake Gyllenhaal), the reigning junior middleweight boxing champion, has an impressive career, a loving wife and daughter, and a lavish lifestyle.

Southpaw by Tabby R.H.