People are voting emotionally.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

The cast of the movie is really great, and they're given some good dialogue. The only problem is that it quickly becomes clear James Woods, as the lovable-rogue con man, is all lovable and not much of a rogue; while Bruce Dern, as the evil mayor of Diggstown, is all evil. You know there are going to be some twists along the way to the end, but one sort of twist gets ruled out fairly quickly, namely, the kind where you find out you may have been rooting for the wrong party.The movie involves a series of boxing matches, and all kinds of surprises can arise involving the details of each matchup. But I didn't find them too surprising; at the end you feel kind of deflated, asking, Isn't there one more twist coming? Louis Gossett, Jr., as the boxer, isn't given much to do. Heather Graham is given almost nothing to do. She looks great; in her later movies she looks like an anorexic. Oliver Platt's part is completely routine as Woods's sidekick.

A really nice guy movie. Some language, very few sexual overtones, great boxing sequences. Great guy movie to watch with a younger audience or with a girlfriend. OR just a great movie for a lady into boxing! Louis Gossett Jr. is great. He portrays his character of an aging boxing ringer very well. He was in pretty good shape and whoever was fight choreographer (probably Benny "the jet" Urquidez) did a really nice job of showing some intricacies of old school "dirty boxing".James Wood and Oliver Platt are hilarious as a pair of con men.Bruce Dern is, as always, a villain you love to hate.it has a serious tone, but with the occasional joke to keep this film from becoming tense.i'd recommend it to anyone that likes a good fight movie. its not high theater, but it sure is entertaining.

I teach film appreciation, and this is one film that I show almost every semester when I talk about scriptwriting. The only time I don't is when I get tired of seeing it two - three times/year. But, ironically, those times are few and far between, I rarely tire of it.It's a great example of foreshadowing and exposition, the acting is great and it has a great cast. (Oliver Platt, James Woods, Louis Gossett, Jr. and Bruce Dern.)It's very nicely directed and is structurally amazing. I wouldn't call it a comedy, there are some very serious parts in it, but everything lent itself to the story well. It's just an all around good film. Very underrated and little heard of, it's definitely one for the rental list.

Some people gave this film crappy reviews. I must say, it is one of my favorite movies to watch on a rainy day. Not that it rains a lot here, but even though the film is predictable, for first time viewers, you will be somewhat surprised. James Woods is great as always, and Bruce Dern does well as the small town Southern businessman who has all the connections. Not much of a hustling movie, maybe more for the con men out there. 7/10