Jake Gyllenhaal fights both inside and outside the ring in first SOUTHPAW trailer

Gyllenhaal rides a ringside roller coaster in Southpaw trailer

Jake Gyllenhaal has been turning in some profound performances lately, from the maniac in Nightcrawler to the troubled characters in Enemy, and the actor put on some pounds and packs a punch in the first trailer for the upcoming film Southpaw. Unfortunately, “from the director of Training Day” doesn’t hold the weight it used to, but Antoine Fuqua’s latest looks like a nice arc leading to a final fight between Gyllenhaal and a rival. Throw in a personal tragedy, tear away a young daughter, sprinkle in a bit of drug addiction, and we’ve got a solid platform for some heartbreak and triumph. The movie looks like the emotional roller coaster ride people enjoy seeing on the big screen.

Check out the first trailer for Southpaw and read a plot synopsis for the film after the jump.

I hate to categorize a movie I’ve been looking forward to seeing as paint-by-numbers, but the trailer details the ups and downs to expect pretty thoroughly. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before, and it mixes in elements that have been on screen in countless forms, so here’s hoping the predictability won’t be detrimental. There’s a nice balance of struggle promised both inside and outside the ring, and Gyllenhaal is proving a force to be reckoned with when given the chance to let loose. Southpaw could be a crazy physical release to the psychological turmoil that’s been building in previous films the actor has headlined.

Here’s a lengthy plot synopsis for Southpaw to give us some details:

Billy “The Great” Hope is the reigning Junior Middleweight Champion whose unorthodox stance, the so-called “Southpaw,” consists of an ineloquent, though brutal, display of offensive fighting… one fueled by his own feelings of inadequacy and a desperate need for love, money and fame. With a beautiful family, home and financial security, Billy is on top both in and out of the ring until a tragic accident leaves his wife dead and sends him into a downward spiral. His days now an endless haze of alcohol and prescription drugs, his daughter taken by Child Services and his home repossessed by the bank, Billy’s fate is all but sealed until a washed up former boxer named Tick agrees to take the bereaved pugilist under his wing so long as he agrees to his strict ethos. Relentless and utterly committed to a fighter that thinks as much as he throws punches, Tick rebuilds Billy into a new man: one that is agile, fearsome and uncompromising in the ring while thoughtful, loving and disciplined outside of it. Now, as he works to regain custody of his daughter and mounts a professional comeback, Billy must face his demons head-on as he learns that, sometimes, your greatest opponent can be yourself.

Southpaw stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker, Rachel McAdams, Naomie Harris, 50 Cent, Tyrese Gibson, Rita Ora, Victor Ortiz, and Oona Laurance. The movie hits theaters on July 31, 2015.