Film Review: Journeyman

Paddy Considine’s second feature as a writer-director is a film that actors dream of. This story of a championship boxer who suffers a traumatic brain injury is a stunning showcase for Considine’s acting ability, and that of his co-star Jodie Whittaker. But released a month after British boxer Scott Westgarth died in circumstances similar to the events of the film, does Considine’s writing avoid asking necessary questions about the sport it’s depicting?

Considine plays Matty Burton, a mature and likeable boxer whose refusal to engage in clickbait trash talk belies his competitive nature and determination to end his career on a high. Deciding to defend his title once more before retirement, he proves tenacious in the ring, enduring countless fierce blows from his opponent (Anthony Welsh) before clawing his way to victory. He arrives home, embracing his wife Emma (Whittaker) and sobbing emotionally, conveying the weight and self-worth he had tied up in this fight.

But within moments, Matty has collapsed, the trauma of those vicious headblows taking its toll. It’s here that the real fight begins.

Here, Journeyman skips forward in time, to Emma bringing Matty home from the hospital. The transformation in him is terrifying and emotional, the portrayal of their new dynamic intimate and raw. Matty, with a scar running the length of his skull, is confused and childlike. His speech falters, he can’t remember his daughter, and his frustration manifests in violent bursts of temper. Whittaker is outstanding as his wife-turned-caretaker; her kindness and patience vast, her fears palpable.

It’s when a crisis removes Emma from Matty’s life that the film falters. Matty’s former trainers become his support system, and boxing is romanticised as the force that helps him to start healing. A melodramatic epiphany on a bridge, and a bafflingly quick and tidy resolution, undermine the complexity of the pain that came before. The real battle of Journeyman belongs to Matty and Emma, fighting together. The simplified, sentimental rounds after never pack the same punch.