To go or not to go? Southpaw

Southpaw is punching it's way into that box office weekend but does it pack a punch or miss completely? Antoine Fuqua's latest drama film, starring Jake Gyllenhaal but also originally eyed rap star Eminem, follows the story of boxer Billy Hope who's life quickly unravels after the untimely death of his wife and his road to redemption. The bad part about this film is that it doesn't accomplish much of, well, anything. The opening sequence starts off with our main character getting pummeled and covered in blood and might honestly be the best action scene in the entire film. After the death of Hope's wife, Rachel McAdam's character, Maureen, the Hope life seemingly falls apart over night. Losing everything from his former boss and promoter played by 50 Cent, to the custody of his daughter following his reckless actions after the death of his wife. Unfortunately, that's about as down and out as he really gets. Everything that seems to happen comes together pretty well for our former number 1 champ. Throughout the middle section and almost until the end, the movie is filled with cliché after cliché tear-jerking moment that echo's her death throughout. Hope's motivation, again, feels a bit off. He's a little too single focused and even after the betrayal of his former boss, he's offered the opportunity to expedite his process and get back into the ring after a mere two months time. It's a little hard to believe that a man who's explosive debut, that could have gone in so many directions, headed down the trail of the average sports film. The cinematography can be a mess at times, going from oddly intense shots to sloppy editing. (especially when it came to throwing punches) Fortunately, for movie goers, Gyllenhaal's chameleon like acting style as of late has earned him a lot of praise and I wouldn't be shocked if we saw a nomination come award season. This movie really accomplishes nothing you haven't seen already, not a great or inspiring story line nor does it want to make me go out and learn how to box. Aside from a left handed boxer, this movie falls pretty flat for a pretty great director. This is one you might wait to catch on TV during the day.