Southpaw

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Southpaw

R

2015

2h 3m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

59%

Tomatometer

241 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Billy "The Great" Hope (Jake Gyllenhaal), the reigning junior middleweight boxing champion, has an impressive career, a loving wife and daughter, and a lavish lifestyle. However, when tragedy strikes, Billy hits rock bottom, losing his family, his house and his manager. He soon finds an unlikely savior in Tick Willis (Forest Whitaker), a former fighter who trains the city's toughest amateur boxers. With his future on the line, Hope fights to reclaim the trust of those he loves the most.

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Critics Consensus

Jake Gyllenhaal delivers an impressively committed performance, but Southpaw beats it down with a dispiriting drama that pummels viewers with genre clichés.

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Max Weiss

Baltimore Magazine

Jun 12, 2016

3/4

About as subtle as a right uppercut to the jaw, Southpaw is nonetheless a welcome addition to the boxing melodrama genre.

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Paul Byrnes

Sydney Morning Herald

Aug 19, 2015

2/5

Gyllenhaal brings every ounce of his physical self to the role, but rippling muscles and a mashed-up face don't really constitute a performance. It's not quite his fault that Billy is such a maddening character.

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Richard Brody

The New Yorker

Jul 29, 2015

The modicum of pleasure delivered by "Southpaw" arrives thanks to its cast, who struggle bravely and energetically with the hopelessly bland text and the invisible, impersonal direction.

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Matt Oakes

Silver Screen Riot

Oct 14, 2026

C+

With a share of technical errors behind the camera, Antoine Fuqua fails to offer a boxing drama that's truly unique or special.

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Jonathon Wilson

Ready Steady Cut

Jun 5, 2026

2.5/5

The material surrounding Gyllenhaal keeps threatening to upstage his hard work.

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Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

Jul 31, 2025

2/5

"Southpaw," starring a ripped-and-raging Jake Gyllenhaal, as entertaining as it tries to be, sadly brings nothing new to the table. This is disposable repetition at its best and worst.

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modern V

@RT04429804 Sep 13, 2026

Definitely deserves the attention and spotlight. Great movie. It deserves solid 4 stars. But im giving it 5 stars because critics are review bombing it

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Griffith J

@griffithxjohnson Aug 7, 2026

I’ve seen several movies shockingly similar & this screenplay is frustratingly formulaic. But my goodness, this is a top tier Gyllenhaal performance as he completely disappears into his role. It’s not well directed & feels sloppy, even if it finds its groove in the second half. Yet I respect how emotionally heavy it is with tough themes of parenting & how grief completely dismantles lives. Showing the high highs & low lows of fame is compelling enough with acting so powerful I almost forgive the truckload of genre clichés.

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Dixie M.

@DMDarne123 May 2, 2026

I do not know what the critics are thinking, but Southpaw is was one of the most realistic boxing emotional cinematic movie that I’ve ever watched and I love it.

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Jake C.

@JT.Champagne Apr 11, 2026

Jake was masterful as usual. However it was nonsensical and if he had a dog I’m sure it would have died in a horrible way

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Ray C

@RT17651982 Mar 16, 2026

Southpaw is a powerful story about redemption and rebuilding your life after hitting rock bottom. As expected, Jake Gyllenhaal delivers another phenomenal performance and is easily the movie’s standout. The supporting cast is strong too, especially Forest Whitaker. The boxing scenes are also visceral and hard-hitting—some of the best I’ve seen on screen. That being said, it is a fairly generic and sometimes predictable underdog, rags-to-riches boxing story that definitely falls back on some genre clichés at times. Still, it’s undeniably a powerful film that’s anchored by Gyllenhaal’s performance.

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Christian B.

@EL1TEcbom Feb 24, 2026

One of my absolute favorite movies. Every single actor did an amazing job. I really was impressed by 50 cents performance as well. Amazing story and acting. 10/10 from start to finish.

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Antoine Fuqua

Director

Jake Gyllenhaal

Billy Hope

Forest Whitaker

Tick Willis

Naomie Harris

Angela Rivera

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Jordan Mains

Oona Laurence

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Synopsis

Billy "The Great" Hope (Jake Gyllenhaal), the reigning junior middleweight boxing champion, has an impressive career, a loving wife and daughter, and a lavish lifestyle. However, when tragedy strikes, Billy hits rock bottom, losing his family, his house and his manager. He soon finds an unlikely savior in Tick Willis (Forest Whitaker), a former fighter who trains the city's toughest amateur boxers. With his future on the line, Hope fights to reclaim the trust of those he loves the most.

Director: Antoine Fuqua
Producer: Todd Black, Peter Riche, Alan Riche, Jason Blumenthal, Antoine Fuqua, Steve Tisch, Jerry Ye
Screenwriter: Kurt Sutter
Distributor: Weinstein Co.
Production Co: Escape Artists, Riche Productions, Fuqua Films
Rating: R (Some Violence|Language Throughout)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 24, 2015, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Oct 2, 2015
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $52.4M
Runtime: 2h 3m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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