Every few years Hollywood develops an unhealthy obsession with boxing movies and the classic underdog tale. You know, the down-and-out boxer who needs to overcome the odds and a tough opponent to come out victorious in the end, blah, blah? On the surface, that’s what Björn Franklin and Johnny Marchetta’s Salvable appears to be about. Toby Kebbell’s aging Sal is a boxer past his prime, but he continues to train and dream of becoming somebody.
Salvable, though, doesn’t produce the picture-perfect ending of a triumphant Sal holding his hand up in the air after a bloody battle. Instead, it’s a harsh reality check about how decision rather than destiny drives humans to either success or failure. It’s beyond boxing; it’s about life.
This isn’t about Rocky Balboa
Björn Franklin’s script isn’t a rehash of Rocky. In Salvable, Sal is the architect of his own demise. Once upon a time, he and his best friend, Vince (Shia LeBeouf), had the world at their feet, because of their ability inside the ring. However, they took it all for granted and made bad decisions. Vince ended up behind bars for it, while Sal lost his burgeoning career and marriage.
Sal still works out with his trainer, Welly (James Cosmo), but he also holds a job as an orderly at a retirement home. His relationship with his teenage daughter, Molly (Kíla Lord Cassidy), is strained, but he hopes to make enough money to move out of his trailer and into a home where Molly can visit and stay with him. Then Vince shows up again and offers Sal a chance to get what he wants, but Sal needs to decide which path he wants to walk now.
Toby Kebbell and Shia LaBeouf put in phenomenal performances
In Salvable, Toby Kebbell reminds everyone that he’s a fantastic actor who deserves much more recognition than he gets. (What gives, Hollywood? You forgave everyone else in 2015’s Fantastic Four, except for Kebbell. Why?) As Sal, he garners genuine sympathy from the audience. Everyone can see that he knows his boxing days are over, and Sal doesn’t dispute it either. Much like anyone who has had a dream crushed, he tries to put one foot in front of the other making it through the days, but life continues to be relentless and throws blow after blow at him. No matter what he does, or how hard he tries, Sal can’t catch a break.
Sal needs a lifeline, and that’s what Shia LaBeouf’s Vince offers him. Say what you want about LaBeouf’s personal antics and controversy, but he never disappoints when the camera turns on. He understands when and how to blur the lines of a complex character like Vince to cause the audience to question what they think they know about him. Vince might not make good choices, but he cares about Sal and wants to help him out of a rut. Does this make him a decent friend or bad influence? LaBeouf leaves that up to the viewer to decide.
Is Salvable worth watching?
One word comes to mind when watching Salvable: honesty. There’s a raw and vulnerable quality to the film that presents a visceral story that many people can identify with. After all, how many of us have had big dreams and taken them for granted? That period afterward feels like a haze – or perhaps even a kind of purgatory – because the soul’s crushed and the fight has been beaten out of you. Everyone expects you to move on and find something new to focus on, but how do you do so when your identity is so closely tied to your dream? It becomes about rediscovering who you are and finding purpose again.
Salvable isn’t about to become the next Rocky or Million Dollar Baby, but it’s an emotionally charged film that hits right in the feels. And no, this isn’t a cookie-cutter redemption story either. It’s complicated, messy, and sometimes disappointing – much like real life.
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The Review
Salvable
Salvable isn't your ordinary boxing movie.
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