Journeyman delivers emotionally punchy scenes but when it comes to taking risks it fails to give viewers a vigorous workout.
Paddy Considine, the movie's director, writer and leading man, follows up 2011's Tyrannosaur with a heartfelt account of a veteran champion middleweight boxer whose life is turned upside down after he suffers a catastrophic brain injury.
The beating-the-odds tale is an eye-opening and well-intentioned examination of a man and his personal struggles to win back his family. Viewers are given an emotionally intense blow-by-blow account of Matty's (Considine) recovery as he faces the loss of speech, motor and memory functions.
It's painful to watch and uncomfortably intimate at times; in one scene, Matty puts his baby in a tumble dryer. Later, he aggressively smashes a mug because he can't remember how to make a cup of tea.
The sentimentality, of which there is plenty, could have been draining but the bluntly black-and-white approach of a debilitated man driven to excel by an unwavering desire to live for his family makes for powerful viewing.
The script champions a comeback story but not in the conventional sense. By seeing all of the dimensions of Matty, good and bad, viewers are offered an interesting lead that is equally heartwarming and heartbreaking. Jodie Whittaker shines brightly in her supporting role as the devoted wife. It's a pity her screen time is limited.
The plot treads familiar ground and at times the dramatic conflict and family melodrama feels strained and convenient, but for the best part it celebrates humanity and avoids clichés.
Journeyman isn't a total knockout but it hits hard when it comes to reminding viewers of how suddenly circumstances can turn on us.
Laura Delaney
