Shadowboxer

Starring Cuba Gooding Jr as a stone-cold hitman (!), Shadowboxer marks the directorial debut of noted independent producer Lee Daniels. Daniels imbues the film with an overly lush sense of style, transforming virtually every scene into a weirdly over-the-top mini-movie. Gooding Jr plays Mikey, who – along with partner Rose (Helen Mirren) – makes a decent living killing people. But when Rose refuses to murder a pregnant woman, Mikey finds his orderly life turned upside down. While Will Rokos’ screenplay goes in several unexpected directions, Shadowboxer never quite becomes anything more than a mildly diverting thriller – thanks primarily to Daniels’ arty directorial choices and Gooding Jr’s far-from-compelling performance. In terms of the latter, while there’s no denying that the actor is actually quite effective here (particularly considering some of his recent efforts, eg Boat Trip and Snow Dogs), the emotionless nature of his character makes it virtually impossible for the audience to really connect with his plight. Having said that, Shadowboxer is basically entertaining throughout – though it seems obvious that Daniels needs to take a lesson from the less-is-more rulebook.

**1/2 out of ****