Southpaw: Jake Gyllenhaal plays Billy Hope, a boxer living in New York City with his wife Maureen, played by Rachel McAdams and their daughter Leila. Sustaining a serious eye injury during a winning match, Billy agrees with his wife, that he should retire whilst he’s at the top with the World Light Heavyweight Championship.
Attending an important charity event, Billy is goaded into a brawl by Miguel Escobar, an emerging boxing talent with a big mouth. During the scuffle, Billy’s wife is accidentally shot and killed by Escobar's brother Hector.
Billy struggles to keep it together as he searches for his wife’s killer, turning to drugs and alcohol to get through the pain. His life spirals out of control losing custody of Leila, also losing his house and his manager.
Desperate to put his life back together, Billy gets on a path of sobriety. He struggles with the fractured relationship he now has with daughter who blames him for their turbulent situation. Billy finally gets a job at a gym owned by Titus “Tick” Wills, played by Forest Whitaker who trains tough local boxing hopefuls. After lots of convincing, Tick agrees to train him also, as Billy is determined to reclaim the trust of the most important people in his life.
Gyllenhaal has certainly bulked up and trained hard to fill these shoes, bringing Billy Hope to gritty life, also supported by stars Curtis Jackson aka 50 Cent, Rita Ora and Clare Foley.
Southpaw is in cinemas nationally 20th August