OUR MOVIE REVIEW:

Boxing movies – even the ones not set in Philly – tend to bounce off the ropes yet remain within the parameters of the ring. The punches and jabs might be glamorous in their choreography, but ultimately they all wear the same sweaty shorts. Salvable, an Irish boxing movie about Irish hooligans set in their Irish ways, features strong characters backed with stellar acting, but ultimately gets knocked out in an early round by a common tale of woe.

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Salvable stars Toby Kebbell as Sal, a down-on-his luck father and almost-over-the-hill boxer.  Sal, of course, is divorced, beaten down by an ex-wife, but strives for a better life for his teenage daughter, whom he genuinely loves. On top of that, interestingly enough, he really is a good boxer. A string of bad luck known as life has gotten to him and all he is trying to do is fight on for one more win. Sal doesn’t so much need the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow as he needs to simply see that rainbow. Instead, Vince, a stormcloud of a childhood friend (Shia LaBeouf), blows into town after serving seven years as a guest of the Irish penal system. Vince quickly gets back to his naughty ways, including running an underground boxing club, and soon cons Sal into lending his fists.

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The story, written by Bjorn Franklin, who co-directs with Johnny Marchetta, fortunately does not play Sal as a sad sap. Sal is as quick with wit as he is on his feet. But Sal also has that proverbial huge heart, which soon becomes a pair of blinders. Sal goes from refereeing to fighting to, soon enough, joining in on other more criminal exercises. Blows like these have all been punched before and have been thrown by better. 

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What salvages Salvable is Kebbell’s strong character-study performance, although LaBeouf, who has been known to roll with those cliché punches, has an equally strong presence. Kebbell (who has starred in Servant and For All Mankind, both on Apple TV+) presents Sal as likeable and honest. He has an unassuming physicality; his thick and mealy stance belies his speed and strength. Likewise with his character. He might possess Balboa’s silence but not his single-direction mind. Sal cares and wants and attempts to plan. Franklin carefully crafts this tragic character and builds him as an antithesis to the darkness surrounding Vince.

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Much can – and probably will – be said about LaBeouf’s Irish brogue but it is yet one tool in the disguise of Vince. From the peroxide highlights and fluffy beard to his cold, convicted eyes, LaBeouf perfectly folds into the deceiving persona of Vince. The brogue is not distracting; the vile nature of the character is what becomes noticeable.

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Alas, for all the work and effort placed into the creation of the characters, Franklin’s plot is a well-worn, single-direction speed bag leading to its inevitable and predictable TKO. The drama within Salvable makes for a relatable and endearing showing but is simply not strong enough to rise up from the final one-two count.