‘People like us don’t change, Sal...’
I’m a sucker for a boxing movie. I can’t think of one film that takes place in and around the boxing ring that I have not enjoyed. Pound for pound, Rocky is probably my favourite cinematic franchise. I say this because I’ve got a feeling that Salvable is not a great film. It might not even be a good one. But I was fully invested nevertheless…
Sal (Toby Kebbell) is an aging prize fighter entering the twilight of his career. He’s living in a caravan, separated from his wife, and is painfully aware that his best years in the ring are very much behind him. The stage is set for a rip roaring comeback then? Not quite. The real fight here is for Sal to reconnect with his troubled teenage daughter, Molly (Kíla Lord Cassidy). Everything connected to the above plotline is well acted and compelling. What’s less successful is the introduction of Shia LaBeouf as Irish criminal, Vince. I get that LaBeouf is a bankable actor, and he is capable of delivering good performances, but surely there must have been a proper Irish actor knocking around who could have played this role. While LaBeouf isn’t bad, there is a scene in which he is paired with a group of actual Irish actors, and he struggles badly. It’s a shame because Salvable has some genuinely affecting moments outside of the tedious Snatch-lite stuff that overshadows the middle section of the movie.
As a relatively new father of a daughter, I found the scenes shared by Kebbell and Cassidy to be far and away the most effective moments within Salvable. The father-daughter relationship presented here feels both lived in and authentic, and some of their interactions are truly gut-wrenching. One scene in particular that takes place outside of a headteacher’s office really got under my skin. I may have had something in my eye.
Salvable feels like half a great film. There is enough here from first time directing team Bjorn Franklin and Johnny Marchetta to suggest that whatever they do next will be worth checking out. Watch this space.
