R | 1h 41m | Sports, Crime, Drama | 2025
There are three kinds of human conflict: man against nature, man against man, and man against himself. Boxing solidly encompasses two of those categories in one fell swoop, which is why boxing stories are the crown jewel of sports movies. They never get old. No other competitive sport is better at reflecting one’s fight against all that stands against them. Consider the fact that all of the following boxing-related movies won Oscars, or were nominated: “Ali,” “Million Dollar Baby,” “On the Waterfront,” “Raging Bull,” “Rocky,” “When We Were Kings,” and at least 20 more.
The film industry also keeps its finger on the pulse of current events. It surely observed the spectacle and massive build-up of the Mike Tyson-Roy Jones, Jr. fight, the excitement leading up to the recent Jake Paul-Mike Tyson travesty, as well as the great success of the “Creed” franchise that bloomed from the “Rocky” franchise.
‘Salvable’
“Salvable” takes place in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, in Southeast Wales. It stars British actor Toby Kebbell and original “Transformers” star Shia LaBeouf—using a Welsh accent—in a fairly action-packed film about a boxer’s trials and tribulations both inside the ring and out. Former world champion boxer Carl Froch has a cameo in “Salvable,” and he trained both Kebbell and LaBeouf for the film.When Sal (Kebbell), a past-his-prime, battered boxer realizes, a la Rocky, that his dreams and relationships are possibly down for the count, he (also like Rocky) is tempted to fall back in with the no-good, robbing, stealing, hustling bad element he ran with in his youth. It’s headed up by his childhood friend Vince (LaBeouf). He arrives at a crossroads of choosing the hard right over the easy wrong. His incentive? He needs to reclaim his hope and the love of his estranged daughter.
Shia LaBeouf nearly ruined his career after “Transformers” with a long string of prima donna scandals and allegations, but his unwavering intensity and commitment to his craft is second to none. “Salvable” is far too niche a movie to catapult the former “Transformers” star back to the heights of Hollywood stardom again.
The boxing action is solid, and the life coaching Sal receives from boxing club owner Welly (James Cosmo, best known as Hamish’s dad in “Braveheart”) is wise. Sal’s relationship with his daughter is exceptionally sweet, but the relationship with his ex-wife, bitter and degrading.
One might say that for a tragedy about a man on the brink of emotional collapse, there’s surprisingly little raw emotion on display. Toby Kebbell’s performance reads more like a heroic ability to forbear with dignity in the midst of suffering and chaos.
