"Southpaw" (2015)

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Boxer Billy Hope's life goes into a downward spiral when his wife Maureen is killed, forcing him to turn to a trainer to get his life back on track and be granted custody of his daughter once again.
This is a standard sports movie in many respects; the script itself doesn't bring anything staggeringly new to the table. But there's one thing that holds it all together. Billy's daughter, Leila, is one of the best child characters I've ever seen. She doesn't fall into any of the normal child stereotypes; they put real effort into giving her a personality that seems genuine and plausible. I fucking love this girl! :) I love how smart she is, and how resentful but still innocent and down-to-earth she is – like I said, she feels real. For me, she's what makes the movie, and the whole reason I wanted to see Billy pull through. The only disappointment is that I wish the movie was about her instead.
But the film does also have a couple of standout moments on the tradecraft front. Maureen's death scene is one of the best I can think of, in that the time it takes seems pretty realistic. And the camera work and editing when Billy is in the hospital captures his dazed state of mind flawlessly.
So, on the whole, it's a pretty simple premise that's realised with enough unique touches that I ended up fully invested, gladly along for the ride.

My rating: 75%