What is it? Long-in-development boxing drama about a fighter (Jake Gyllenhaal) making his way to the top as his private life falls apart. Why is it a major player? Jake Gyllenhaal was never likely to feature in the 2015 Best Actor Oscar race for Nightcrawler - even if it was a highly acclaimed film, the material reeked of cynicism, and Gyllenhaal's performance seemed too dark and weird to knock Benedict Cumberbatch or Eddie Redmayne out of the race. Southpaw could be the film that Oscar voters use to recognise Gyllenhaal as Best Actor, however: he's on an upward swing in quality of performance of late and could feasibly could ride his critical success with a new role that sees him make another shocking physical transformation. The film itself, meanwhile, is the kind of 'inspirational' story that Oscar loves. The only thing that may be getting in the way is director Fuqua, who hasn't had any luck with the Academy since Training Day back in 2001. Southpaw might be the film to restore his luck though, as the material sounds more in line with his gritty 2001 breakout hit than any of the blockbusters - Shooter, Olympus Has Fallen, The Equaliser - he's been making these past 14 years.
Lover of film, writer of words, pretentious beyond belief. Thinks Scorsese and Kubrick are the kings of cinema, but PT Anderson and David Fincher are the dashing young princes. Follow Brogan on twitter if you can take shameless self-promotion: @BroganMorris1
