A champion boxer fights to get his daughter back from child protective services as well as revive his professional career, after a fatal incident sends him on a rampant path of destruction.
Billy Hope (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) is the undisputed light-heavyweight boxing champion of the world. He is unbeaten over a career of 43 fights. He is happily married to beautiful Maureen (Rachel McAdams) and has a young daughter, Leila (Oona Laurence). His life seems perfect, but then, during a fracas with a rival boxer, his wife is shot and killed. They had known each other since they were 12 years old, and now the bottom has fallen out of his world. The death of his wife sends Billy into a downward spiral, resulting in him being barred from professional boxing for a year, the loss of his house and almost all his possessions and, most painfully, the loss of his daughter to the custody of Social Services. In order to gain back his daughter and restart his life, he seeks out a particular trainer, Tick Wills (Forest Whitaker). Now he is starting his life again, at the bottom.Written by
grantss
"Southpaw" is actually a baseball nickname for any lefthanded pitcher, since home plate is always west of the pitcher's mound. See more »
Goofs
During Miguel "Magic" Escobar's ring entrance Roy Jones Jr. mentions that Miguel is a hard punching Colombian just like his compatriots Sergio Martinez and Carlos Monzon. Sergio Martinez and Carlos Monzon are two very well known Argentine boxers. See more »
Wow. This is actually an incredible movie in which Gyllenhaal delivers an Oscar worthy performance.
It's kind of an emotional rollercoaster which gives you the best of the two different worlds in boxing and drama. A comeback story at its finest. The father-daughter relationship gets me the most.
I've seen this movie more times than I can count and it still amazes me that Jake Gyllenhaal didn't even got nominated for this one - he is outstanding!
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Wow. This is actually an incredible movie in which Gyllenhaal delivers an Oscar worthy performance.
It's kind of an emotional rollercoaster which gives you the best of the two different worlds in boxing and drama. A comeback story at its finest. The father-daughter relationship gets me the most.
I've seen this movie more times than I can count and it still amazes me that Jake Gyllenhaal didn't even got nominated for this one - he is outstanding!