![]() The story (also by Stallone) borrows a little off ROCKY, but is nonetheless entertaining. I bought this from HMV on Monday, because I wanted to check out this early Sly Stallone movie, and I've got to say that he made a sterling job of it, both behind and in front of the camera. Bill Conti's spare harmonic score does the trick, too. Laszlo Kovacs' glittery cinematography provides a striking garish look. This movie further benefits from the charming presence of three attractive ladies: Anne Archer as sassy'n'sultry redhead dance hall gal Annie, Aimee Eccles as the sweet Susan Chow, and Joyce Ingalls as classy dame Bunchie. ![]() Moreover, there's a delightful array of colorful low-life secondary characters: Kevin Conway as slimy crime kingpin Stitch, Joe Spinell as flashy wrestling ring emcee Burp, and Terry Funk as fearsome brute Frankie the Thumper. Frank McRae likewise shines with his touching turn as faded and battered washed-up brawler Big Glory. Armand Assante does strong work as Cosmo's cynical and crippled war veteran sibling Lenny. Better still, Stallone presents a vivid and flavorsome evocation of the period setting along with a beautifully lurid underworld milieu that's both captivating and appealing in equal measure. Stallone blends sentiment and seaminess into a tasty offbeat mix that manages to find just the right balance of grit, humor, warmth, and pathos. Shrewd, fast-talking, and ambitious con man Cosmo Carboni (well played by Sylvester Stallone, who also wrote, directed, and even sings the theme song!) encourages his good-natured, dim-witted, but strong-as-an-ox younger brother Victor (a solid and engaging performance by amiable big lug Lee Canalito) to participate in wrestling matches in order to win enough money to get out of their impoverished neighborhood. One of Stallone's least-known and least appreciated films, but it's well worth seeking out. ![]() Stallone writes and directs well, getting good performances from all his actors, and the film has a rich flavor and feeling for the period. The story is peppered with colorful Damon Runyon-esque characters and a nicely balanced combination of humor and drama. Armand Assante plays his other brother, a cynical war veteran who was wounded in combat and now works as a mortician. Sly plays Cosmo Carboni, the street-wise hustler with no visible means of support but a head full of get-rich-quick schemes who hatches a plan to promote his brutish but gentle-natured brother (who's job is hauling giant blocks of ice all over the city) as a professional wrestler. It's the story of three brothers who dream of busting out of the poverty of Hell's Kitchen in New York during the mid-1940's. Stallone made this film between "Rocky" and "Rocky II" and it shares alot of similarities with those films.
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