Shadowboxer (2005)

When Rose, a female assassin, is diagnosed with terminal cancer, she decides to carry out one final killing, assisted by lover and also stepson, Mikey.

Director:

Lee Daniels

Writer:

Will Rokos

Stars:

Cuba Gooding Jr., Helen Mirren, Vanessa Ferlito

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cuba Gooding Jr.	...	Mikey
Helen Mirren	...	Rose
Vanessa Ferlito	...	Vicki
Macy Gray	...	Neisha
Joseph Gordon-Levitt	...	Dr. Don
Mo'Nique	...	Precious
Stephen Dorff	...	Clayton Mayfield
Matt Higgins	...	Eddie
Tom Pasch	...	Andrew
Ryan Eric Speise	...	Anthony - Age 3
Cullen Flynn Clancy	...	Anthony - age 7 (as Cullen Clancy)
Marilyn Yoblick	...	Real Estate Agent
Darnell Williams	...	Mikey's Father
Marvina Vinique	...	Mikey's Mother (as Marvina Vinque)
John Panzarella	...	Man in Hotel (as Johnny Panzarella)

Storyline

Mikey and Rose are professional assassins. They are also lovers, and once upon a time Rose also knew Mikey's father. During an elaborate hit job for a malicious gangster, Rose fails to kill the main target, the gangster's pregnant girlfriend. Instead, she delivers her baby and convinces Mikey to help her protect them both. As Rose weakens from cancer, Mikey becomes breadwinner for this unusual family. But tranquility will not last.

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Plot Keywords:

cancer | gangster | female assassin | baby | nudity | 

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Taglines:

Feeling Protected Is Very Seductive

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong graphic violence and sexuality, nudity, language and some drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Visual Entertainment [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 July 2006 (Italy)

Also Known As:

The Contract

Filming Locations:

Collegeville, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$103,238 (USA) (21 July 2006)

Gross:

$370,627 (USA) (18 August 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Teton Films, Lee Daniels Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In this film, Mo'Nique plays a character called 'Precious. In the film Precious, based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire, Mo'Nique played the mother of the main character, whose name was also 'Precious'. Coincidentally, both films were directed by Lee Daniels.

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Goofs

Just after Macy Gray's character talks to Dorff's character outside his mansion, she gets in the car and shuts the door. In the next shot, she shuts the car door again, despite it already being closed.

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Quotes

Mikey: I'd like to buy the crazy-ass bitch a drink.

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Crazy Credits

In Memory of My Uncle Reggie (1942-2005)

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Connections

Featured in Indie Sex: Censored (2007)

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Soundtracks

"Tacea La Notte"
from Il Trovatore
Written by Giuseppe Verdi
Courtesy of Corelli-Jacobs Recording

User Reviews

Breaks some rules alright

As another reviewer stated, this movie does break rules. But is that enough? And through all the rule-breaking, there still is a core/central storyline that does seem familiar, to say the least. OK so some people will/might be offended by the sexual nature of the movie and or maybe by the violence. Although the latter isn't quite as brutal as some other movie efforts, you might have seen. Why is this special then compared to those movies? The cast plays into that. Who would've imagined, Cuba Gooding Jr., Stephen Dorff and Helen Mirren (although only the latter is a real surprise here). A nice little movie, but apart from the obvious scenes that try to provoke a reaction (especially in America and the moral standards, that are implied by some), this isn't really a movie that I would call a classic! I thought it was OK, but it won't shake up your world ...