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Shadowboxer
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Directed by Lee Daniels
A late-career change of heart leads to a dangerous life on the run for two seasoned assassins whose complex relationship masks a dark past in director Lee Daniels' pulpy film noir. When Mickey (Cuba Gooding Jr.) was just a child, his abusive father savagely murdered the young boy's mother shortly before being gunned down by Rose (Helen Mirren), Mickey's stepmother. Twenty years later, Mickey and Rose are not only working together as hired killers, but they have grown to become lovers as well. When Rose discovers she is dying of terminal cancer and becomes addicted to morphine, her conscience soon prompts her to reevaluate her murderous ways. Assigned the task of taking out Vickie (Vanessa Ferlito), the wife of local crime boss Clayton (Stephen Dorff), Mickey and Rose are unable to complete their mission upon discovering that Vickie is pregnant. With the tragedy of the past threatening to lock Mickey, Rose, and their reluctant charge into a tragic cycle of death and deceit, the reluctant killers attempt to make amends for their violent past by protecting Vickie's unborn child and allowing Rose one last chance at redemption. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
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littlemisspinkspiderlittlemisspinkspider Shadowboxer
by littlemisspinkspider in littlemisspinkspider Blog
liked it.
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"There's not much 2 say about this movie. The acting was good, I liked it and it was better than I thought it was going 2 be. " [More]
lukasblulukasblu Re: Range of Characters
by lukasblu in Range of Character
"i too would love to see the lookout;it has the best reviews and he's my new found young fave actor since i saw him in mysterious skin;he was also in Shadowboxer (2005),Havoc (2005) and [More]
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Review by All Movie Guide
All Movie Guide
lost interest.
In the understatement of the year, Shadowboxer will not be remembered as Helen Mirren's best work of 2006, the year she won an Oscar (among other awards) for The Queen and a Golden Globe (among other awards) for Elizabeth I. In fact, that Shadowboxer wasn't a straight-to-DVD release -- the more typical realm for co-star Cuba Gooding Jr., renowned for his career's post-Oscar belly flop -- is almost a miracle. The subject matter is totally C-grade fodder: a pair of contract killers, who also happen to be an interracial, intergenerational couple, decide to "adopt" the girlfriend of the man who hired them to kill her, when she goes into labor moments before they can complete the job. Granted, it doesn't take much to get a green light for a hitman movie, but it couldn't have hurt that the film's writer-director (Lee Daniels) also owns the company providing the financial backing (Lee Daniels Entertainment). Shadowboxer exists as the perfect example of why checks and balances exist in the film business -- the only way this gets made is with a lot of yes-men enabling one deluded egomaniac. Truth be told, Daniels' film could have been a lot worse. The production values are there, and the performances cut the mustard. But its bizarre casting choices (hefty, black Mo'nique is paired with skinny, white Joseph Gordon Levitt), its psychological shallowness, and its total lack of useful observations on the human condition leave Shadowboxer firmly entrenched in the category of "unintentionally comic misfire." Rounding out the cast is Stephen Dorff playing yet another sadistic psychopath. It's clear Daniels has tried to study the crime movies he loves, but it's not clear what -- if anything -- he learned from them. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
 

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most people
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Other opinions

brescio1
brescio1
loved it.
lukasblu
lukasblu
liked it.
myrdynn
myrdynn
liked it.
DavidAames
DavidAames
is not interested.
CassieAnnette
CassieAnnette
is not interested.
Ateballin
Ateballin
is not interested.