Salvable – Film Review

Björn Franklin and Johnny Marchetta’s Salvable sets out to deliver a knockout blow in the crowded ring of British boxing dramas, but despite a promising cast and gritty ambition, the film ultimately succumbs to the clichés it tries so hard to transcend. Written by co-director Franklin, Salvable follows Sal (Toby Kebbell), a washed-up boxer caught between personal demons and criminal entanglements, as he tries to piece together a shattered life. Though the premise holds the potential for a compelling redemption arc, the film is burdened by erratic pacing, derivative plot beats, and underutilized supporting talent.

Salvable is a character study — or at least, it wants to be. Sal, played with commendable gravitas by Kebbell, is introduced as a man in quiet ruin. Once a promising fighter, now reduced to broken routines and bitter silences, Sal’s world has contracted to a flickering gym light and a daughter, Molly (Kíla Lord Cassidy), who barely knows how to speak to him anymore. His estranged relationship with her is the emotional thread meant to pull the film forward, but the writing never quite finds the right balance between sentiment and authenticity. Their scenes often veer into the melodramatic, undermining what could have been a potent father-daughter dynamic.

Kebbell’s performance, however, is the film’s strongest asset. He brings a bruised intensity to Sal — a man with more regrets than punches thrown in the last decade. His physicality is convincing, his silences often speak louder than the dialogue around him, and he imbues the character with the kind of weariness that only comes from years of disappointment. Unfortunately, Salvable doesn’t allow his character to evolve in a meaningful or surprising way. Instead, the narrative sticks to a rigid formula: the reluctant return to the ring, the shady underworld dealings, the training montage, the final big fight.

Enter Vince, played by Shia LaBeouf, whose arrival briefly injects the film with much-needed volatility. Vince is a man oozing charisma and menace in equal measure. LaBeouf plays him with a manic unpredictability, drawing attention whenever he’s on screen. While his accent occasionally falters, his performance is otherwise tightly coiled and compelling.

The subplot involving Vince’s criminal dealings is the weakest element of the film. It’s well-trodden ground, handled with minimal originality. The underworld here is populated by cardboard cutout gangsters, snarling threats and throwing punches in dimly lit pubs or grimy backrooms. Even the film’s attempts to explore themes of loyalty and betrayal feel more like box-checking than meaningful exploration. Michael Socha as “Little Michael” chews the scenery with gusto, but the character is so thinly written that his presence amounts to noise more than tension.

Kíla Lord Cassidy does her best with what she’s given as Molly, Sal’s teenage daughter who has long since stopped believing in her father. The script frequently places her in emotionally charged situations — school fights, confrontations with Sal, moments of vulnerability — but these scenes often feel overly scripted and lack the naturalism that could make their fractured bond resonate. Cassidy is a talented young actor, and she carries the role with maturity, but the emotional payoff the film aims for in their reconciliation doesn’t feel earned.

James Cosmo is, predictably, a solid presence as Welly, the grizzled old trainer who still believes in Sal. He serves as the moral anchor of the film, offering gruff wisdom and second chances. Cosmo’s scenes are among the few that manage to avoid melodrama, thanks largely to his ability to convey authenticity with minimal dialogue. But like so many elements of Salvable, the character is ultimately underwritten — a stock figure rather than a fully realized person.

It’s a film leans heavily into the muted, overcast aesthetic common to British crime dramas. Cinematographer Simon Plunket captures the bleakness of Sal’s world with washed-out color palettes and claustrophobic framing. It’s effective in building mood, but quickly becomes monotonous. The fight sequences — a crucial element for any boxing film — are serviceable but lack the visceral energy or innovative choreography needed to leave an impression. The final bout in particular, supposedly the climax of Sal’s arc, feels rushed and underwhelming.

One of the film’s larger missteps is its heavy-handed use of symbolism and metaphor. The title itself, Salvable, spells out the thematic intent: this is a story about redemption, about salvaging something from the wreckage. But the film never fully trusts the audience to make these connections. Characters speak in on-the-nose dialogue, spelling out their motivations and internal conflicts rather than letting the subtext breathe. There are moments that hint at a more restrained and affecting film buried beneath the surface. But these are few and far between.

The score, composed by David Keenan, tries to elevate the material with a haunting, industrial edge, and while it works well in isolated sequences, it often clashes with the emotional tone the film is striving for. The music sometimes overwhelms the quieter scenes, pushing the drama into operatic territory it hasn’t earned.

In the end, Salvable is a film that wants to tell a story about second chances, but it feels too shackled by convention to truly say anything new. There’s an admirable attempt to ground the narrative in character rather than spectacle, but the lack of narrative risk, combined with heavy-handed dialogue and generic plotting, results in a film that feels more like a shadow of its inspirations than a fresh contender in the genre.

With stronger writing and a more focused vision, Salvable could have delivered a poignant meditation on masculinity, redemption, and legacy. Instead, it settles for familiarity, padding out its runtime with predictable beats and underdeveloped arcs. While Kebbell and LaBeouf do their best to keep things afloat, they’re ultimately left swinging in a film that never quite earns its title.