12 Movies From 2015 That Really Shouldn’t Have Been Boring

2. Southpaw

The Promise A raw nerve tale of redemption through boxing as a father overcomes the death of his wife and his desire for vengeance on her killer to become the champ again and be reunited with her daughter. Sort of like Rocky, only if Sly Stallone had actually bothered to learn how to box. The Problem Despite its lofty aspirations, Southpaw simply never clicks as well as you want it to. Jake Gyllenhaal looks the part and his commitment is admirable, but the enduring feeling after the credits is that you've just watched a relentless barrage of genre cliches torn out of more entertaining films. If Rocky and The Fighter are the champions, Southpaw was a bare-knuckle brawler from the streets with a mean punch but not enough originality in its gameplan and not enough finesse. And crucially, the emotional element - which was key to selling the story - was a little stagnant (perhaps because the trailers spoiled one of the biggest moments).