Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- provocative
- operatic
- bleak
- cult movie night
- crime thriller marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film's characters random and its crime melodrama preposterous, bizarre, and difficult to believe.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Rose is both Mikey's lover and connected to him through his father, while the assassins form an unconventional protective family.
Rose's cancer weakens her while Mikey assumes financial responsibility for the baby and its household.
Professional assassins, illicit romance, pregnancy, cancer, and a murderous gangster are combined in an exaggerated emotional register.
Mikey shifts from contract killing to breadwinner and protector after Rose spares the gangster's pregnant girlfriend and her child.
Films like Shadowboxer, and why
The Professional
shares lovers who are professional killers, criminal melodrama, and heightened neo-noir violence
Léon: The Professional
shares stylized hitman mythology, morally compromised criminals, and operatic crime plotting
Killer Joe
shares provocative crime melodrama, taboo relationships, and an intentionally heightened tone
Movie Details
- Director
- Lee Daniels
- Release Date
- 2005-09-09
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Rating
- 5.1 / 10 (82)
Cast
- Cuba Gooding Jr.
- Helen Mirren
- Vanessa Ferlito
- Macy Gray
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt
- Stephen Dorff
- Mo'Nique
- Tom Pasch
- Ryan Eric Speise
- Matt Higgins
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Shadowboxer about?
- Two professional assassins transform a botched hit into a fragile family refuge while illness and criminal violence close in.
- What is Shadowboxer like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Shadowboxer as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Shadowboxer violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Shadowboxer as graphic.
- What did critics think of Shadowboxer?
- Critics broadly found the film's characters random and its crime melodrama preposterous, bizarre, and difficult to believe.
- Which films are like Shadowboxer?
- Films with a similar feel include The Professional, Léon: The Professional, and Killer Joe.
- How long is Shadowboxer?
- Shadowboxer runs 93 minutes.
- Where can I watch Shadowboxer?
- In United States, Shadowboxer is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
