The film also provides further proof (if any more is actually needed) on how fine an actor Jake Gyllenhaal has become. His take on the lead role, that of boxer Billy Hope is absolutely mesmeric. His time in the gym and time spent training to learn the techniques of boxing have paid real dividends.

Gyllenhaal fills the screen with electricity and menace and he makes the most out of what is a rather pedestrian screenplay. Sutter’s ability to plumb the depths of emotion is slight in this instance but as populist entertainment it hits most of the right marks.

This isn’t a story that challenges the viewer but one that can be completely enjoyed by the transformative nature of the performances. Don’t miss this film even if you are not that much of a fan of boxing. As an insight into the human will as told through superlative acting it is throughly engaging.
Rob Hudson
www.southpawfilm.com

Many are the times that he drops into story development mode by using the montage approach with a driving or reflective song playing over the top. He also has a penchant for using established songs covered by new artists and this gives some very familiar songs a new lease on life.

The current season in America (which is season’s ahead of what Australian free to air television is currently broadcasting) sees Sutter delivering some of his best dialogue ever and the songs in the current season have really added to the emotional impact. Sutter’s wife Katey Segal (Gemma Teller on the show) has also been featured and her voice has a very soulful lived-in quality that well suits the song selection.

This collection, which is now up to Volume three, features the most emotionally resonant songs of the series and the highlights are many. Leonard Cohen’s Come Healing, Noah Gundersen and house band, The Forest Rangers take on the Rolling Stones’ classic As Tears Go By and Segal’s take on Jackson Browne’s For A Dancer are particularly satisfying.

Having seen all of the current episodes of SOA is not a prerequisite for enjoying this collection of songs as they easily stand on their own. However for fans of the show, this soundtrack will bring back some great memories and ignite a desire to go back and revisit the show’s most emotionally vivid moments.

Rob Hudson
www.tv.com