Ringside view

Ervell E. Menezes

Another ‘boxing’ movie as the name ‘South Paw’ suggests, but not in the same vein as the ‘Rockys’. More like ‘Champ’ (1979), a real hit, because of its human interest. There it was the hero’s son (Ricky Schroder). Here it’s the daughter.

Billy Hope (Jake Gyllenhal) is a boxer who lives in New York city with his wife Maureen (Rachel McAdams) and their daughter Leila (Oona Laurence). An eye injury forces Billy to retire when at the top, but at a charity he is taunted by possible rival Miguel “Magic” Escobar (Miguel Gomes). It results in a fight in which his wife Maureen is shot dead by Miguel’s brother Hector.

Billy then reacts by abusing alcohol and drugs as he searches for Hector, but only succeeds in finding his wife as Hector is absconding. It’s further downhill for Billy till he loses custody of his daughter Leila who is put under Child Protection. Angela Ribera (Naomi Harris) is the officer-in-charge of her. Leila soon grows distant from her alcoholic dad.

But it is the rift with his daughter that sort of sobers him up. And he is helped by seasoned boxer Titus ‘Tick’ Wills (Forest Whittaker) who runs a gymnasium and later doubles as his trainer. In good time, Billy is ready to resume his boxing career (whatever happened to his eye?) and is pitted against Escobar whose brother has killed his wife.

Amidst doubts of Billy taking revenge on Escobar the fight begins and then it’s a replay of all those boxing dramas. No prizes for guessing the end and though director Fuqua keeps the viewer absorbed for most of the time, the fare is not really compelling.

Jake Gyllenhal is his usual self and is at ease in the changing emotional moments and he is ably supported by Forest Whittaker. The women Rachel McAdams and Naomi Harris are at best academic and though young Oona Laurence is impressive, she suffers by contrast to Ricky Shroder. All said and done ‘South Paw’ is well worth a dekko.