Southpaw - B-

Rated R, 123 minutes

The hard-hitting, entertaining new boxing film "Southpaw" pulls some solid punches from a story you've seen before. Superbly acted in a transformative performance from a bulky Jake Gyllenhaal, the acting and impressively staged boxing scenes lift it from its well-worn, predictable story (down-on-luck boxer comeback story). Billy Hope (Gyllenhaal) seemingly has it all with an impressive career, a beautiful and loving wife (Rachel McAdams), an adorable daughter (Oona Laurence) and a lavish lifestyle. When tragedy strikes and his lifelong manager and friend (Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson) leaves him behind, Hope hits rock bottom and turns to an unlikely coach at a run-down local gym: Tick Willis (Oscar winner Forest Whitaker), a retired fighter and trainer to the city's toughest amateur boxers as he struggles with redemption and to win back the trust of those he loves. Directed by Antoine Fuqua ("The Equalizer"), and co-written by Richard Wenk and "Sons of Anarchy's" Kurt Sutter, "Southpaw" is well-acted and enjoyably gritty amidst some of the script's more calculated turns. The story is most problematic in the first act, when Hope goes from hero to zero in two seconds flat - and while it's believable it's not exactly realistic given how much money and notoriety that real boxers make these days - not to mention they kill off the lovely, underused McAdams in a flash. From there, you have a sense as Hope builds his way back up and into the ring, what will happen (and it does, unsurprisingly), though a bulked up Gyllenhaal gives another of his typically stellar turns as the down-on-his-luck boxer, and he's well-supported by Whitaker, in one of his better roles of recent memory, and charming Broadway actress Laurence as his angry daughter. The boxing scenes, especially the moving final fight, highlight the modestly powerful "Southpaw," and it's a must-see for those who enjoy boxing and boxing movies in particular. While overall not as gritty "Raging Bull" or lacking the emotional gravitas of a "Rocky," it's still worth a look for Gyllenhaal's strong performance.