i rented this film for one reason: Helen Mirren. As far as i'm concerned, she is perfect every time and in Shadow Boxer she dominates the screen. I had heard that, after films like Boat Trip, that Cuba Gooding was also very good in this film, and that he had hit his stride again. I didn't feel that way. i found his performance one note and humourless, with character contradictions which were less than convincing. And the character of Vicki seemed contrived and hard to believe. The film basically ended for me after Ms Mirren's demise. I lost interest afterwards. The screen play teased us with glimpses of what made these characters who they were, particularly Cuba's character Mikey. OK, so there was irony in her "death", with history repeating itself. But we aren't allowed to fully understand these characters because Lee Daniels appears to have only a passing interest himself. I don't see myself watching this film again.
Review of Shadowboxer
