The first image we received of Jake Gyllenhaal playing his role as Billy Hope in Southpaw was that of a muscle-bound, angry boxer. As we know from the synopsis of the film, and now this first official Southpaw trailer, he is indeed angry – and for good reason.
Southpaw follows the story of fictionalized boxer Billy “The Great” Hope as he rises to the top of his profession amid a crumbling home life. It’s not entirely clear in the trailer, but Gyllenhaal’s character appears to get angry over something another man says, charges him, someone pulls out a gun, and just like that we have a setup. With his wife (maybe?) shot dead, he’s left to try and piece together his life and relationship with his family while maintaining a high-stress boxing career.
Gyllenhaal’s transformation from doofy bubble boy to ripped boxing legend is something we’ve chronicled in the past, and Southpaw could prove to be the next in a line of great movies that the actor has been a part of. His most recent success, Nightcrawler, missed out big during the award season, but Gyllenhaal himself was recognized by critics and fans alike for his fantastic portrayal of an over-zealous crime scene photographer slowly going insane.
Alongside Gyllenhaal will be Rachel McAdams playing Billy Hope’s wife, Maureen. Southpaw is directed by Antione Fuqua (best known for 2001’s Training Day), and screenplay for the film is being penned by Kurt Sutter
Last Updated on November 27, 2018.
