Uppercut Man

My review was written in May 1990 after watching the movie on Vidmark video cassette.

Prolific Italian director Sergio Martino turns in a cornball boxing pic "The Opponent", made in Miami and Rome in 1987 and debuting domestically in video stores.

Yank thesp Daniel Greene toplines for the umpteenth time in an Italian pic, as Bobby Mulligan, a beefy menial worker who dreams of becoming the heavyweight champ.

Bill Wohrman trains him at the local gym but can't get the kid an honest fight, as corrupt fight promoter Giuliano Gemma only wants Greene to take a dive. After Greene becomes involved with Gemma's bombshell girlfriend Mary Stavin, the promoter offers him an honest gig.

Only the dullest viewer will fail to guess that when the big fight comes Gemma orders Greene to kiss the canvas on cue. Predictably, Wohrman is killed and Ernest Borgnine, father of Greene's real girlfriend, steps in to become his new trainer.

Derivative effort telescopes the plot of at least two "Rocky" films with little impact. Greene is inexpressive and filmmaking is by the numbers.

This late (and below-average) addition to the "Rocky" type of films has banal dialogue to spare, along with one of the cheesiest soundtracks of the era! Furthermore, it doesn't take much advantage of its star names (both of whom were past their prime by a good number of years!): Giuliano Gemma as the villain of the piece is visibly bored, while Ernest Borgnine is given the thankless role of the belligerent father of the boxer hero's girlfriend - who becomes his manager (Burgess Meredith-style) at the 11th hour! Daniel Greene's acting is no better than in HANDS OF STEEL (1986) and Mary Stavin (of TOP LINE [1988]) is unintentionally hilarious as Gemma's alcoholic moll: a dreadful chanteuse, she's also something of a nymphomaniac who wastes no time in seducing Greene, her boss' new protégé; their subsequent relationship leads to the boxer's downfall, though she later comes to his aid against Gemma and his gang of hoodlums! The boxing sequences aren't terribly exciting, either; in fact, I'd say that this was one of the least compelling - and most clichéd - films on this form of sport I've ever watched!

A uncharacteristic moment of dullness from the usually reliable, and at times inspired Sergio Martino. The real sad thing about this film is its total lack of identity, rather than looking and feeling like a commercial Italian production it resembles more the work of the "made for television crowd". Some mildly interesting casting in the shape of Mary Stavin and Daniel Greene, but really only worth the time of day for diehard Martino fans and Giuliano Gemma completists.

This is the second Sergio Martino movie after Hands of Steel with Daniel Greene as his star. Greene plays an up and coming boxer with a powerful right hand and a heart of gold. He works night shifts in a bar and has a girlfriend whose father played by Ernest Borgnine disapproves of the relationship thinking Greene is a no good for nothing loser. To prove himself Greene catches the attention of a local boxing promoter played by Giuliano Gemma who decides to make a champion out of his newfound protégé. Then some other stuff happens... Martino gets a lot of flack for his 80s movies, like they're no match for his gialli. I think it's uncalled for because they're certainly more memorable. Cheesy, yes, but entertaining in many ways. In this Gemma plays his character almost like he's suicidal, which works. Borgnine can't do much with the lines he has, but still kind of fits the picture. Greene has a strange appeal with his looks of a thug and voice of a saint. Technically the film is very well done on what I suppose is a very low budget. The boxing bits aren't disastrous - they're short and to the point (unlike Rocky). The pace is fine, there's never a slow moment, plus the movie has one of the catchiest theme songs I've ever heard and that's always a big bonus. Ultimately the film suffers from the strange things the writers made the characters do in order to have an act three when all was resolved in act two. A flawed but fun Italian Rocky knock-off.

Imagine every cliché in every boxing movie ever made. Now, splice them together and you end up with this foreign curiosity. You have the young contender who has to overcome the odds to get the title, the wise old trainer who may as well have I WILL DIE BEFORE THE END tattooed on his bonce, the sleazy promoter with the dodgy moustache and his constant entourage of hired goons in business suits, and the innocent girlfriend destined to be kidnapped and held for ransom on the outcome of the final fight. It's like colour by numbers: each element is present and correct, and ready to be filled in by the unimaginative script writer.

The ringside parts are not actually that bad, with some vaguely convincing slugging and crowd participation going on. It's in the more dramatic moments that 'The Opponent' falls flat on its face. Daniel Greene may have a great muscular physique, but he cannot act his way out of a paper bag. His attempts at thespianism are laughable, and his romantic scenes with newcomer Keely Shayne Smith are particularly embarrassing. I'd rank him several notches below Ar-nulled on the charisma stakes too. (Wow, that's harsh) The rest of the cast do nothing to elevate themselves out of their stereotypical roles either. That's it, just take the money and run fellas!! No-one will ever know..

3/10 all the way. However, the video's box gets a 7, mainly it has a still image of the only nude scene in the film (Yes, I know I'm a perve). This would be the only reason for me to keep this hunk of junk. On second thoughts though, where did I put that photocopier...?