Directors: Bjorn Franklin, Johnny Marchetta
Writer: Bjorn Franklin
Stars: Toby Kebbell, James Cosmo, Shia LeBeouf
Synopsis: An aging boxer struggles to escape the grasp of a small town while battling a fractured relationship with his teenage daughter.
The sport of boxing is filled with stories of athletes who never made it. It’s why the films that include the sport and its athletes are so rich for audiences because there’s always a chance that the underdog can win. There’s always a chance that with time, the right attitude, and just enough training, the underdog can be redeemed and take the glory that has so long eluded them. They can become what they and their trainers always believed themselves to be. Yet, it’s never that easy and Salvable portrays the complicated nature of keeping a dream, while trying to stay grounded.
For the most part, the plot of Salvable is very familiar. It shows a boxer who has had a few too many setbacks and while still thinking about the thrill of the fight, knows it might be time to give up. Where Salvable becomes its own film and takes the audience in a refreshing direction is its story. Writer Bjorn Franklin has crafted a script that is unique in its approach to this character and the down on his luck fighter subgenre.
The best parts of the script show the gentleness within the mass of muscle that is Sal (Toby Kebbell). Sal has a day job at a nursing home where he really cares for the people under his charge. He didn’t envision his life going this way, but he makes the most of it. It’s also in his relationship with his daughter. He knows he’s not a good father in the traditional sense, but he knows it’s far better to come to Molly (Kíla Lord Cassidy) with understanding rather than an authoritarian bent.
There is a scene late in the film where Molly is caught with drugs at school and Sal comes to take Molly home. He talks to the principal, a woman he had grown up with and gotten into trouble with, and gets her to understand that the way to handle the situation isn’t the hardline, but to lean toward clemency. Then, rather than addressing the issue with Molly head on, Sal brings out his own demons. He doesn’t chastise, cajole, or make light of the situation, but attempts to give Molly a chance to change her mind about the path she’s on through sharing his own pain.
At this point, it becomes clear that even as he tries to put Molly on the right path, Sal feels he doesn’t have a choice with what he can do next. When he struggles to keep doing the right thing, or at least the moral and upright thing, he faces setbacks that keep him from getting out from under everything in his life. It’s what keeps him from seeing Vince (Shia LeBeouf) as the black hole that will envelop him and remove him from any chance at the life he wants. The second we see Vince we know that in spite of the challenges that Sal has faced, keeping Vince out of his head will be the greatest one he will face.
You couldn’t have predicted when Shia LeBeouf showed up as a child actor that he would spend a decent portion of his career playing heavies. Yet, it’s a niche he has built for himself and it likely comes from his deep well of intensity. Vince is a character that fits into an archetype in a lot of films, but with the right actor behind him, he can feel new or more menacing in a way. In spite of his many public personal failings as a human, LeBeouf has an acting talent that is undeniable.
Much can also be said of cinematographer Simon Plunket’s camera work. He gives us an immersive style where there is no ring to keep us on the outside and we are in the action as it happens. His talent is on full display in the opening scenes as Sal pantomimes the fight that lost him his shot at greatness. The way the scene is shot is like the best filmed boxing scenes. Even as there is no one else on screen, we can sense the other boxer, the referee, and the crowd from the angle of the camera.
Salvable has a lot of great story beats even if the overall plot is pretty predictable. Like many sports underdog films, we want the best for Sal and his loved ones. Though, Salvable is unique in that its fight scenes are rarely in a traditional setting or of a traditional ilk. It’s a film that takes its time and lets its characters grow in unique ways that make a familiar story feel different and refreshed.
