Salvable Review: This Boxing Drama Fails In More Ways Than One

PLOT: An aging boxer struggles to escape the grasp of a small town while battling a fractured relationship with his teenage daughter.

REVIEW: Maybe it has something to do with Rocky having a profound impact on me (and most of America), but there’s just something about a boxing movie that feels special. Every time one releases, I make sure to rush and check it out. I don’t need much outside of some decent boxing action and an intriguing lead character I can root for. Unfortunately, Salvable has neither of those things, and is more focused on showing us all the ways to be a bad father instead.

Toby Kebbell pulls the most he can from the thinly written character of Sal, an aging boxer with a complicated relationship with his daughter. He says he cares about her, but his actions constantly say otherwise. He’s his own worst enemy and can’t seem to stop getting in his own way. Makes it tough when this is the guy we’re supposed to be rooting for. Shia LaBeouf is in the more flashy role of Vince, boasting blonde hair and an Irish accent. It slips a bit, but for the most part, he pulls it off. They have an interesting dynamic, and the movie comes to life a bit when they’re together, as Vince is a bad influence on Sal, having many criminal connections. Unfortunately, Vince comes and goes from the narrative.

One of the turning points of the story comes when Sal and Vince are on the line for a ton of money with a particularly seedy element. That’s all well and good, except it all happens because Sal wouldn’t finish the guy. He has him dead to rights, and instead of doing what they went there to do, he just walks away. This was the moment I stopped caring about anything that happened in the story, because it was all self-inflicted. Instead of an intriguing plot development that strongarms them into an uncomfortable situation where they need money, the characters simply make stupid decisions to get there instead. I just can’t vibe with the “this happens because we need it to” style of writing. Throws all logic out the window.

The boxing takes a backseat to more of the character drama. Which isn’t a bad thing in and of itself but the action between the ropes is all pretty basic. Kebbell doesn’t have the greatest footwork, so it can be a bit distracting. The camerawork mostly makes sure to keep things moving, so you can’t focus on it, but anyone who watches any kind of combat sport is surely going to notice. It also has that more flashy Rocky-style of guys just throwing haymakers with nearly every punch. It feels very much like “movie fighting.” Visually, Salvable goes for the more handheld, naturally lit approach, making the world feel quite lived in. This really takes the gritty aspect seriously.

Despite boasting a great lead performance from Toby Kebbell, Salvable never goes beneath surface level. And I couldn’t help but wonder what the point was when the credits rolled. This was not a story of redemption or someone finally getting their life together. This was just depressing moment after depressing moment, taking any satisfaction out of what I was hoping would be an intriguing boxing film. And if you’re going to make me bask in the darkness, at least write your characters so I have someone to root for or a clear goal. A deadbeat dad who constantly lets his daughter down and can’t seem to understand his own failures as a father could have been interesting (as proven by The Wrestler). Instead, it feels directionless and ultimately pointless.

SALVABLE IS PLAYING IN THEATERS AND ON DEMAND/DIGITAL ON MAY 2ND, 2025.

Salvable

BELOW AVERAGE

5

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