8. Southpaw
When I first saw this, I dismissed it as a merely average boxing movie that could have been much better. However, after seeing just how phenomenal Creed turned out to be, I’m reminded how amazing a boxing film can truly be when the filmmakers really put a lot into it. This on the other hand felt like an assembly line project for all involved. It’s a film full of the same tired sports movie beats we’ve seen a thousand times, but with none of the rawness and authenticity of it’s contemporaries. While Jake Gyllenhaal’s physical transformation is certainly impressive, his character is a mumbling bore, which makes it hard to root for him to win back both his daughter and his dignity after a series of crippling losses including the murder of his wife.
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