Action,Crime,Drama,Thriller
United States of America
Shadowboxer is a 2005 crime thriller film directed by Lee Daniels and starring Helen Mirren and Cuba Gooding Jr. in the lead roles. The film was controversial for its depiction of a romantic relationship between two professional assassins.
The story follows Mikey (Gooding) and Rose (Mirren) as they undertake a hit job for a mob boss named Clayton (Stephen Dorff). The target is Vickie (Vanessa Ferlito), Clayton's pregnant girlfriend who knows too much about the gang's criminal activities. However, Rose hesitates to pull the trigger as she discovers that Vickie is carrying a baby. Instead, she takes the woman to a motel and performs a makeshift C-section to save both the mother and child's lives.
To protect the new mother and her baby, Rose and Mikey become their protectors, risking their own lives and careers as assassins. The three move in together and try to establish a new family unit, with Rose playing the role of a protective grandmother. Mikey and Vickie also develop personal relationships, with Mikey helping Vickie to cope with the emotional trauma of her experience with the gang.
As the trio bask in their newfound domesticity, the story takes a dark turn when it is revealed that Rose has been suffering from cancer, and is rapidly losing her strength. Meanwhile, Clayton discovers that Vickie is still alive, and sets his sights on getting revenge on the assassins who betrayed him. The final act of the film is full of heart-racing action as Clayton sends his goons after Mikey, Rose, and their new family.
Overall, Shadowboxer is a compelling story of the unlikely bonds that can be formed between people from vastly different backgrounds and lifestyles. It explores themes of love, deception, loyalty, and redemption, all within a gritty and violent criminal underworld setting. Despite the controversial nature of the romantic relationship between Mikey and Rose, the film received mostly positive reviews from critics and audiences alike.
