Midnight Sting [DVD]

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Hagan pounds Palmer to the point that Caine wants to stop the fight in the corner, which Palmer won’t let him do again. The fights up to now had their little moments, but this one is the first one where we see some really cool fight cinematography and choreography; this is a smart production tactic, because it reinforces the idea that this one, compared to the others, is a sincerely dangerous fight for Roy. It’s a war between two professionals who know what they’re doing, not just Palmer doing his best to take down a series of wannabes who hope he’s gotten tired enough to fall. Their boxer will fight any 10 opponents Gillon puts up against him in a 24-hour period. If he is still standing and victorious after the final man then Fritz and Kane win the bet!- Simple! Filming for Diggstown took place in Montana, as well as in Los Angeles and Sacramento, California. [1] Reception [ edit ]

We start like most boxing films with a fight. Here its in a prison where Gabriel Kane (an excellent James Woods) is watching on. During the fight a fellow prisoner gives Kane some money and before you know it, Kane is leading the man to a daring prison break, all this happens when the fight takes place and its only here when watching again you realise how pivotal this moment is. Not to spoil it for anyone, its just great how much hidden layers is in this film Hambone Busby, who, like his brother, has been bribed to take a dive. Gillon, however, threatens to kill Hambone's brother, Slim, unless he is victorious in the ring. Hambone fights a vicious fight, but is ultimately defeated. Slim is indeed found murdered. Dern in particular is incredible here, not in an Oscar-winning sort of way — he’s been plenty capable of that throughout his career, of course — but in that B-movie villain way. He knows the movie he’s in, and doesn’t shy away from it at all. The one thing I truly remembered for the decades since I last watched this movie was the way he held his hands while watching the fights ringside, C. Montgomery Burns style: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer When the great-grandson of Queen Victoria married a millionaire heiress in 1922 they became a formidable power couple. But Louis Mountbatten and Edwina Ashley’s union was an open marriage that generated endless society gossip, even if their social clout kept most indiscretions out of the papers. This film revisits the torrid story. Graeme Virtue Capital Jingle Bell Ball 2021 10pm, Sky Max

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Do they give Oscars for casting? "Diggstown" deserves one. Gossett and Platt are extraordinary. (Gossett, in my opinion, gives the best performance of his career---high praise indeed.) Woods and Dern, two actors whose work I haven't always been crazy about, are perfect here. It's fast, hilarious (with Gossett getting most of the best lines) and, as The New York Times wrote, "improbable (and) vastly entertaining." Oliver Platt's fleecing of the locals in the bar early on is one of the funniest scenes I know of. It's a cast of champs in this drama with comic elements about prize fighting, involving an ex-con James Woods who ends up managing veteran prize fighter Louis Gossett Jr. And bets that he can take on 10 of the top fighters from Diggstown. Of course when you have got great actors like Woods, Gossett and Bruce Dern involved, you've find me an embarrassment of riches, but the problem is that the script has so much going on there's not enough time for real character development outside of the three main veteran actors, and the screenwriters idea of comedy is having one of the competitors dealing with flatulence while in the ring with Gossett. Oliver Platt and Heather Graham co-star, with Orestes Matacena having an important minor role as a mobster threatening Woods over the investment he made on Gossett's side.

With the boxing world still on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic across the world, we at Bad Left Hook continue to look for various ways to keep the show going without any actual fights to cover at the moment. We’ve got ourselves a little old Movie Club, a good old fashioned gathering of folks to talk about movies; being specific for this case, boxing movies. You get some training montage stuff, of course. Old Roy pulls a tractor and runs on the farm land. He sees Charles Macum Diggs sitting on his porch, and one day even goes to talk to him, or at him, as it winds up. Local Buster (John Short) is being paid by Gillon to spy on Diggs and time his runs, but Caine convinces Buster to fudge the numbers. The fighters come and go through the ring, but at times it appears the real contest is between Caine and Gillon, as they match wits and execute their ploys against each other. Palmer shows his legendary skill, but each new opponent is diverting and offers something of a special, unexpected challenge. Perhaps one of the best parts of the movie are the witty asides that Woods and Gossett trade between rounds at ringside. Woods also tries to do Bogart with Heather Graham as Emily Forrester, but this takes neither of their character arcs very far. It's obvious he's this veteran and seasoned con man, and she's just a nice girl fresh out of college with no hint of the savvy Lauren Bacall had about her. Any hint of romantic involvement between them somehow simply reeks of jail bait, and besides his underhanded machinations have already gotten her brother killed, no matter how indirectly. Wolf, meanwhile, is beaten down by Torres. The amiable country boy was fighting on Caine’s behalf, and it didn’t turn out his way, but Caine pays him what’s owed, and Wolf insists to Caine that he is a good friend. When Caine does get released, the warden having found out nothing, Wolf — weeks away from his own release — begs Caine to take one of his shirts and visit his dogs, so they can catch his scent on it. Caine agrees, with some reluctance. Diggstown was a box office flop, but as I said before, seemed to get a bit of a second life on cable through the rest of the 90s. Also known as Midnight Sting, it found at least a small audience, and the requests for me to add this one to the pile are enough to tell me that that small audience still thinks of this movie quite fondly.I don’t know. I mean it’s… I’m trying to inspire you. It’s a Roots kinda thing. It’s a motivation thing.” I've seen this movie several times over the years and it never gets old. Gossett, Platt and Dern are terrific in their respective roles, but Woods takes every scene with his white suit and smarminess. There are very few movies, including most of my all-time favourites, that I can watch more than once a year without getting bored. In fact, "Diggstown" is the only one I can think of. As other IMDb reviewers have pointed out, not a scene or a line is wasted; the movie pulls you forward. It's as much fun as any good "con" movie, but has a lot more to say than "The Sting" (a film that I love) or any other such that I can think of. If the reason for its relative obscurity is the usual one---the studio held focus groups and decided not to put much advertising money behind the film---then I'm baffled. The setup in Diggstown begins. On one side of the main street in town, Fitz drinks all night and cleans out a local card game, then keeps winning money in billiards bets. Across the street, there’s a small boxing club. We meet John Gillon (Bruce Dern), who manages the club and, according to son Robby (Thomas Wilson Brown), “ is Diggstown.” We will come to learn that’s true; Gillon owns most of the property in town. He gives his fresh-faced teenage son a 1958 Corvette as a present.

But as Torres whales away on an exhausted Palmer, Caine repeats Gillon’s move from earlier: he whistles, adjusts his tie, turns is thumb down, and Torres takes the dive on one shot from Palmer. A number of rules are set at a meeting between Caine and Gillon’s team. Two of the fighters, teenage Robby Gillon and his friend Billy Hargrove, are allowed to wear headgear. That’s part of a negotiation where Caine agrees to let any man residing in Olivair County on that day, with proof, to take part. Caine fears ringers, and this sets his mind at ease. Rose and Gio dance up a storm in Strictly Come Dancing. Photograph: Guy Levy/BBC 48 Hours to Victory Actually,” Caine tells Gillon, “I believe it goes, ‘Never con a con man, especially when he’s better than you are.’”Fight night arrives, starting just after Midnight on a Saturdy. Fitz gets the list of fighters from Buster, while Gillon gives his group their strategies. Each of the first five are given a particular task to execute in combined attempts to weaken Palmer — bust up the eyes, soften the body, etc. — for the first two rounds of their five-round bouts; after two rounds of doing their jobs, they are free to go for the victory and the bonus money that comes with it. Diggstown is one of the few movies that has ever made me actually cheer out loud. If you've seen it, you know the moment at the end that I'm talking about. I've seen it a few times now, and even though I know how it ends, I still love seeing the ending over and over. It's pretty much a formula movie, but is well-done and has some very clever moments and one-liners thrown in to keep you interested. Take for example when Woods and Dern are discussing the rules for the fight. Woods opens a bottled drink in one motion only with his thumb (twisting, not prying), right before answering one of the questions posed to him. It's a great effect and lets the audience know just how smooth Gabriel Cain is. Caine congratulates Palmer: "What you did," he says, "couldn't be done." To which Palmer replies, "Now, you motivate me".

That brings up Diggstown's best man, Hammerhead Hagan, the only fighter ever to actually beat Palmer during their professional careers. He is brought in as a surprise ringer. Gillon moved him in as a county resident just before the bet rules were established, meaning that Hagan can legally fight.While Fritz gets in trouble at the pool table for being called a hustler, he then insults them further by criticising their local boxing legend. Its here the film develops, Fritz claims he knows a man who is better than their local hero and he will put a wager on that his boxer can fight anyone in this town no matter who, what, or where. When John gets wind of this loudmouth he arrives at the pub and tells Fritz that if he wants to make that bet then he is willing to put up the money. Kane pretending not to know Fritz tells John that he will stump up the cash to set this deal up, John agrees and the bet is set! Meanwhile, Caine sets up his bets with the local town owner John Gillon played by Bruce Dern with southern fried menace and local mobster and loan shark Victor Corsini acting as a silent partner on Caine's behalf. Since Fitz as played by Oliver Platt in a laughably clever pool room scene has already prepped the scam, it behooves Caine now to establish the setting with Gillon for the main event. So the aging Palmer shaves his head and gets ready to rumble. He even gets to meet the man who the town is named after while doing roadwork, the nearly brain dead Charles Macom Diggs. This scene and deaths of Emily Forrester's brother Wolf Forrester and Hambone Busby's brother Slim, give the film it's dark edges, but at its center this movie is a lighthearted exercise in One-upmanship. You’ve got Woods and Dern, two great veteran actors, just chewing scenery throughout, sharing these fantastic, melodramatic glares, while Gossett, another great veteran actor, puts in a more subtle, reserved performance as the old fighter. The supporting cast do their jobs well enough, rounding out everything out with small and memorable roles, particularly the opposing fighters; each of them has a distinct little personality, as do their fights. Gillon ends the meeting with an all-hands prayer circle. “Dear Lord,” he begins. “Give us the strength and courage to tear this man limb from limb.”