Shadowboxer

An impressive, different 2005 movie from a first time director and first time writer, Shadowboxer stars Cuba Gooding, Jr., Helen Mirren and Vanessa Ferlito as an offbeat family. Mirren and Gooding are lovers, though Mirren was also sort of his stepmother, who make a living as an anonymous, efficient team of killers for hire. Mirren, as the film opens, is dying of cancer and they take one last job together: killing Ferlito along with several men who work for her psychotic mob boss husband (Stephen Dorff, always good at the crazy roles).

When Mirren gets to Ferlito’s room and is about to finish the contract, Ferlito stands up and her water breaks. Yeah, she’s ready to give birth to Dorff’s kid, that’s how nuts he is. Mirren takes Ferlito with them, unable despite decades of homicide to take out a pregnant woman and her nearly born child. Dying has given her perspective.

Gooding is, of course, insane as well since he saw his father kill his mother and, shortly thereafter, his father get murdered too. Not to mention having the stepmom turn into his lover and instructor in the deadly arts. He has no ability to make decisions for himself; Mirren has done that all his life and, after the cancer takes her away, Ferlito does (though without realizing quite what’s happening).

Macy Gray and Joseph Gordon-Levitt give nice supporting performances as Ferlito’s best friend and doctor to both Mirren and Gooding and Dorff’s crew. Lee Daniels is the first time director and William Lipz the first time writer and I think the credit can be split fairly evenly. This is a decent movie, though not great, with interesting characters, a different sort of take on contract killers and romance and the meaning of family and good visuals and pacing.

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