Southpaw

Jake Gyllenhaal's Billy Hope is the latest in a long line of blue-collar bruisers to fight his way out of the gutter, putting the orphanage behind him to find fame as a middleweight boxing champion in director Antoine Fuqua's visceral albeit somewhat familiar drama. When we meet Hope, poverty is a thing of the past; he is living the nouveau riche dream with his wife (Rachel McAdams) and young daughter (Oona Laurence). We don't have to wait long before his world spirals into chaos, however. A fracas with a trash-talking rival (Miguel Gomez) has tragic consequences and soon Hope is broke and alone, fighting to restore his battered reputation (with the help of Forest Whitaker's veteran trainer) and win his child back from social services (Naomie Harris, its friendly face). With any other star, this would be the stuff of soap opera. Gyllenhaal, though, gives a powerful performance that towers above the script. There may be no prizes for guessing how things turn out for Hope, but the role certainly allows its star to triumph.