Midnight Sting [DVD]

Product Information

His con man friend makes a foolish bet with Diggstown's owner on who'd win the boxing matches - their man against ten Diggstown men. The disc will play perfectly without interruption and the case, inlay notes and sleeve may show limited signs of wear. Caine will supply a fighter he's convinced will beat any 10 men whom Diggstown has to offer over the course of one day. are a potent one-two punch as a pair of mismatched partners in for the scam of their lives in a movie that's hard to resist.

A loan shark backs Caine's bet, with the understanding that his health and welfare will be riding on the outcome. It's far from a sure thing, though, since Gabe's fighter is "Honey" Roy Palmer (Gossett), a cranky, over-the-hill 48-year-old who has just come out of retirement. He plays the boxer with a sympathy and depth of soul that contrasts well with Caine, and the scenes with the two of them are excellent.

The film is a little patchy, it starts off quite light hearted and played for laughs, and indeed there is an imaginative fart gag that`s worth waiting for. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.

Gabe, recognising a golden opportunity, bets the town`s powerful boss (Bruce Dern) that his fighter will defeat ten opponents in 24 hours. No chapter selection screen, no trailer, merely the static menu screen with the same four icons as every other recent MGM back catalogue release. Also since the con involves boxing, there`s no place for finesse here, and ultimately the execution is quite fittingly brutal. He truly embodies a nasty greedy man who feeds off power and corruption and will stop at nothing to win.

It`s a good reason why early Hollywood films would have a bit of everything thrown in, action, adventure, romance, as well as a little singing and dancing.

I certainly didn`t have high expectations when it came to this disc, the film definitely passed me by the first time round, but I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Whether from ill judged performances or miscasting is uncertain, but here he is perfectly cast as Gabriel Caine, a slick, fast talking hustler. But Roy comes out swinging, pulverising one contender after another, leading to a final exciting bout that may decide the ownership of the town itself! Buck Holland (played by former heavyweight boxing contender Rocky Pepeli), who puts up a good fight. It`s also an inspired bit of casting to have Bruce Dern as the greedy and cold-blooded John Gillon, an archetypal Hollywood bad guy if ever there was one.Playing the conniving scoundrel with remarkable ease, Woods delivers one of his best performances, making Caine a character who walks with the calm and authority of a true professional. But Roy comes out swinging, pulverizing one contender after another, leading to a final exciting bout that may decide the ownership of the town itself! However, the new boy's concentration is diverted by baseball groupie Susan Sarandon, who picks a lover from the team every year to train in the erotic arts.

Caine discovers that Gillon's treachery (and his bank account) goes deeper than Diggstown people know. Part boxing flick (think Rocky) and part con thriller (think Oceans Eleven) the movie takes twists and turns where you’re never quite sure who will come out on top. Gillon has lost everything, leading Caine to correct him with an admonishment: "Actually, I believe it goes: Never con a con-man, especially one who's better than you are.Ex-con Gabriel Caine (James Wood) heads for Diggstown, a place where unofficial boxing matches are held for big prize money. Gossett, Dern, and Cobb all deliver fine supporting turns, as do Oliver Platt, Orestes Matacena, and Heather Graham. His reasons for taking down the bad guy are sincere and played out well making him slightly more complex than just a con man trying to win big money. Director Michael Ritchie turns in another crowd-pleasing sports picture with DIGGSTOWN, featuring James Woods as Gabriel Caine, a con artist who has just been released from prison.