Playing a washed up boxer has been a necessary rite of passage for any would-be serious actor ever since Marlon Brando coulda been a contendah in On The Waterfront, and now it’s Jake Gyllenhaal’s turn in Southpaw. Gyllenhaal plays… (*checks IMDB*) holy sh*t… “Billy Hope,” because I guess “Whitey Whiterson” seemed too on the nose.
Southpaw is directed by Training Day‘s Antoine Fuqua, with a script by Richard Wenk and Sons of Anarchy tough guy Kurt Sutter, and we know Billy Hope’s life is falling apart when he punches a mirror. Can’t have a breakdown without punching a few mirrors, I always say. Between this and Nightcrawler, I wonder if he’s worried about being typecast as “Guy who hates mirrors.” Also, the movie seems to take place over the course of a few months or even years, but Jake Gyllenhaal’s left eye never heals, which almost seems like an inside joke when Forest Whitaker shows up as his trainer.
Anyway, Southpaw opens July 31st. If you need me, I’ll be programming a film program for people who loving watching mirrors break. Apocalypse Now, Nightcrawler, Foxcatcher, Southpaw…