User reviews

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.

Louis Gossett does a great job and is believable as a boxer. The fights are obviously over-choreographed, but they're still better than any of the horribly unrealistic Rocky sequences. Oliver Platt is excellent as Cain's sidekick, Fitz. Look for Heather Graham before she became a celebrity....some things never change, though....yowsa!

I definitely recommend Diggstown...it's not an award-winning or thought-provoking type of movie, but it's a lot of fun.

One night, years ago now, I stumbled across this movie on Sky (known as Midnight Sting in the UK) With a fine cast including James Woods, Bruce Dern, Heather Graham and Oliver Platt, I had stumbled onto a really good movie.

James Woods is a con man who with the help of his partner (Oliver Platt) sets up a fight between his age old friend Honey Roy Palmer, an ageing but very accomplished boxer and any 10 Diggstown men (a small out of the way boxing loving town, controlled by Bruce Dern) The con is on, Woods and Dern set the wheels in motion on this exhibition of boxing, and as the stakes get higher you will find yourself engaged by the tension of the event. Who is hustling who? And why? I am amazed at how few people seem to have seen this movie. So if you fancy a film, with a some good laughs, a clever story, a fine cast and a cracking ending. Then give it a try, yes there are better films, but there are far more that are worse.

8/10 Go and rent yourself a copy

I like James Woods. Yes he is over the top blah blah blah but he takes risk and among his many bad films there are many good ones. In this movie he is at his best. The veteran actor paired with Louis Gosset Jr. does a great job. Gosset is also great as the overweight but still feisty boxer. The we are to old for this is a subtle joke that runs throughout the movie. The film has good twists and turns and real nasty villain played by Bruce Dern. When you get a few quality professionals as they did in this film you tend to produce a quality product. The script is sound and everyone looks like they had fun making the movie. The film has charisma, atmosphere, and a great deal of whit. In my opinion it is one of the better boxing movies made as well. The Great White Hype is witty but at many times is forced and requires more knowledge of the boxing industry for its jokes. Raging Bull is of course a masterpiece so there is no touching that, but if you are in the mood for a good comedy and just a flat out good movie I recommend it.

Tremendously overlooked conjob flick concerning Woods and co. trying to mastermind a huge payday over a smalltown giant. Jimmy gets out of the pokey and heads to the title town, which is lorded over by Dern. A bet is made that Woods boxer, played by Gossett, can wipe out ten men in one night. What ensues is a ton of double-crossing, trickery, and surprises right up until the final moment, which is a doozy. Terrific performances by all (Woods as always is a dynamo), as the comedy and suspense are mixed perfectly. Film wasn't given much of a chance, as most movies get about 2,000 screens, this one only found its way to a little over 700, which would explain its anonymity. But if you find it you should get hooked like us cult fans who had the chance to go along for the great ride.

'Diggstown' is An Entertaining Film, that earns itself a viewing, by sheer merit. Also, It's lead-star, the ever-dependable James Woods, delivers an exceptional performance from start to end.

'Diggstown' Synopsis: A charming con man teams up with a boxer fallen on hard times in hopes of making some quick money.

'Diggstown' gets it right, because the humor works & so do the characters. The Boxing Match in the finale, is superb & stands out. Steven McKay's Screenplay is entertaining & well-done. Michael Ritchie's Direction, is good. Cinematography, Editing & Art Design, are passable.

Performance-Wise: Woods is exceptional, as expected. An Actor who NEVER Disappoints! Louis Gossett, Jr. is very impressive. Bruce Dern is decent. Oliver Platt scores. Heather Graham is her usual self. Others lend support.

On the whole, 'Diggstown' is an entertaining flick, that definitely deserves a watch.

Gabriel Caine (James Woods) is a con who helps others escape from prison. He gets released. With the help of fellow inmate Wolf Forrester (Randall 'Tex' Cobb)'s sister Emily (Heather Graham) and his partner Fitz (Oliver Platt), he is setting up a con in boxing obsessed Diggstown. He loses a bet to John Gillon (Bruce Dern) when he commands a boxer to take a dive. Corrupt Gillon owns the town. Gillon's son loses his new car to Fitz. Charles Macum Diggs, the namesake of the town, knocked out 5 fighters in one day. Fitz claims that "Honey" Roy Palmer (Louis Gossett Jr.) could knock out 10 Diggstown men in 24 hours. Fitz ends up betting $100k to Gillon's $10k with Gabe's backing.

The most interesting thing is finding out what the con actually is because the bet is so lopsided. Woods is a great con man. It's a role that he's built for. Oliver Platt is a terrific sidekick. LGJ has some good chemistry with Woods. The con is a bit weak. It relies a bit too much on Honey's boxing and Gillon's hubris. I hoped for a more inventive con or at least a way to show that Gabe is somehow maneuvering the pieces every inch of the way.

this is a superb movie that really should have been seen by many many more people than it clearly has been. The best James Woods performance I have seen , superb support from Oliver Platt, Bruce Dern and - well, everyone in it. The script is tight, sharp, incredibly clever and very very funny. I'm not a fan of boxing movies, don't let it put you off. yes, the sting ultimately revolves around a fight, well, ten fights, to be precise, against just one man - but really it's a hugely satisfying con movie that ultimately becomes about vengeance, paying for your actions and finding the morality amongst the money. It's brilliant. Buy it/get it from a video shop that has old movies, steal it, whatever it takes.

This is not a bad boxing movie if you don't take it seriously. At the start, I thought it would take place in prison but im glad it didn't. The story has been done several times in different ways. Underrated for sure. Im confused why certain characters took as much screen time as they did.

Diggstown (also known as Midnight Sting) is directed by Michael Ritchie and stars James Woods, Louis Gossett Junior, Bruce Dern, Heather Graham, Oliver Platt, a pre-fame James Caviezel and Randall "Tex" Cobb. The plot sees Woods as con-man Gabriel Caine, recently out of prison he and his cohort Fitz (Platt), set up a boxing "sting" in Diggstown, a hickville place out in Olivair County that is run by egomaniac John Gillon (Dern). The set-up entails Caine's old friend Honey Roy Palmer (Gossett Jr) having to fight, and beat, 10 Diggstown men in one day. As the money goes down and secrets come out, corruption and violence is never far away.

Midnight Sting was one of those film's that came to my attention in the early hours of one morning. I couldn't sleep and turned the TV on out of pure frustration at a lack of sleep. What I didn't know at that time of irksome sleepy annoyance was that I would fall in love with a movie, a love that lasts to this very day. The TV announcer said the name of the movie and that it stars James Woods. Since Woods is always value for money I thought I would give it a go, for the next 98 minutes I laughed out loud, I cringed at some sad moments and I punched the air on more than one occasion. It quickly became one of my favourite movies of all time. On the surface it looks a very simple tale, but it has so much more to offer outside of the excellent fight sequences and some belting one liners.

Based on Leonard Wise's novel "The Diggstown Ringers", the film deals in loyalties, friendships, greed, power, corruption and lies - not to mention small town mentality being under the microscope. It's impeccably acted as well, with the Woods and Gossett play off one of the most engaging duets of the 1990s. The twists within, and there are some corkers, really crown what was already a smart and witty script. It was a film that went largely unnoticed upon its release, and even now in this age of rampant internet usage it appears to still be under seen or sadly forgotten. It of course will not become a personal favourite of all newcomers to it, but just maybe one day if you can't sleep or you are stuck for a rental then you should give it a chance. Because it deserves a chance to at least try to welcome you into its fan club.

I love it, you know that by now, and there's a chance that you will too. Punch the air brilliant. 10/10

At least it has recently appeared on ESPN Classic so it would seem that a cult following may be building for this terrific film. I don't think this one lasted three weeks in the theaters around here, but the first time I saw it on cable, I was hooked. Diggstown is not only a hilarious film, but it's also one of the best "sports" movies I've ever seen.

Our story has a small group of con men led by James Woods who are trying to outwit a corrupt small town kingpin. They bet that "Honey" Roy Palmer (Louis Gossett Jr.) can knock out ten of the town's best boxers in a 24 hour period. Palmer is an outstanding, yet aging talent who "never got his shot". His skills, and the help of some local insiders make Woods and Co think they have a real shot at robbing the town blind. The funny thing is how Bruce Dern, who plays the local kingpin, reacts. He is no fool. He knows that Palmer will be tough to beat, and that Woods is trying to con him. But he has too much pride to pass on the wager. He also thinks the boxing talent in town is certainly good enough to beat a forty-eight year old fighter no matter how good he used to be. You'd think the locals would have the upper hand, but Woods and his people have all kinds of tricks up their sleeve both leading up to and during the matches. Once the wager is agreed to, the film never lets you up for air.

Diggstown is a very funny movie. James Woods could sit down and read the newspaper aloud and it would be entertaining, but here he has a great script to work with. Plenty of one-liners and intelligent dialog are used by everyone. The fight scenes are a considerable cut above any Rocky film ever made. It really looks like people are getting the crap beat out of each other in the ring. The motley crew of locals that Palmer has to fight are a hoot. One of them is even played by The Passion of the Christ's very own Jim Caviezel. He actually makes the mistake of calling Palmer the N-word in the ring. Yikes! There are numerous twists as the conclusion draws near. It becomes a question not of which side has the most endurance, rather which side has the biggest surprises in place to trip up the other. The final twist in one you will absolutely NOT see coming. For great comedy, spectacular fight scenes, and a surprise ending, check out Diggstown. It's a shame more people don't know about this film! 9 of 10 stars.

The Hound.

Don't watch this film for quality. It's quite generic, most of the acting is second-rate, and the cinematography is pretty much non-existent. That out of the way, this is still a really good film. It's an enjoyable plot, constructed Western-style, to manipulate the viewer into a specific reactionary mode. There's the good guys, the bad guys, and a really great showdown. Sub-plots?? Who needs 'em! Sex? Bah! Violence? Enough to please the average blood-thirsty film-goer, but not enough to push away everyone else. I think what really pushes this film above it's seemingly highest limits it's a very strong main cast. The secondary cast is average, nothing really special about them, but the main three characters have personality, a strong sense of the characters they play. James Woods is the strongest of then. Woods has this habit of signing on with generic, hopeless films and making them worth watching (The Hard Way comes straight to mind), and he usually surrounds himself with a strong, expressive supporting cast. This film is no exception; he adds character to Gabriel that I'm sure wouldn't be apparent in the script. He becomes the character and the character moulds to his own perspective. Louis Gossett Jr. backs up Woods nicely. He pretty much plays himself (which is always an amusing role). he also has a habit of signing on with awful films, though he's not nearly as successful as Woods in improving them (one word: Firewalker). But here, his chemistry with Woods shows. They play off of each other very nicely, and most of the film's strongest lines, even scenes, involve the two of them (especially in the showdown boxing scenes, where their dialogue is at it's absolute best). Oliver Platt and Bruce Dern also help to raise the level of the film. I've always been a fan of Platt's, and this is no exception. Like Gossett Jr, his chemistry with Woods is strong and some of the film's best lines are when they're together. Dern is as strong as he can be with a fairly one-dimensional character; he's a very expressive actor, and so his facial expressions and body language help to strengthen an unfortunately weak character. In other words, he did the best with what he had to work with. Heather Graham...adorable and a strong actress. But not in this film. In fact, I have no idea why she was even in this film, her character was a transparent plot device, and was all but useless. In some films, using a character to further the plot or explain important details can work out fabulously (like the janitor in The Fisher King) but here it falls flat. Her dialogue is stilted, and her character is only there for very obvious purposes. And the frail attempt at sparking up a sort of love-interest between her and Woods fizzles miserably through lack of chemistry and the dissipates altogether after a few appraising glances and a flat flirtatious word or two. The biggest problem with this film is the ending. Obvious and overly cheezy, it also falls very flat. Anti-climactic beyond belief, I felt robbed. I wanted more. The boxing matches were well-constructed and when they finished the film probably should have just ended there. But it was dragged out with a few very poor and generic scenes that wasted the sense of fun which had been predominant throughout the film. Overall, definitely worth watching at least once, especially for fans of Woods, Platt and/or Gossett Jr. A film likely to be forgotten soon after watching, but fun to watch just the same. 7/10.

Diggstown (1992)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

If you're wanting an art-house picture then this here won't be for you but if you want non-stop entertainment then DIGGSTOWN really delivers the goods. Con man Gabriel Caine (James Woods) gets released from prison and is looking for the next big score and finds it in a hick town ran by John Gillon (Bruce Dern). Caine makes a bet that his boxer (Louis Gossett, Jr.) can take ten men in a 24-hour period. DIGGSTOWN pretty much went unattended in theaters when it was first released due to a really bad campaign and that's a real shame because there's so much to enjoy here. Not only do you have some great performances, a wonderful setting and some terrific fight scenes but you've also got a pretty good little drama mixed in. The movie is a prime example of something that isn't dumbed down for mainstream audiences yet at the same time it doesn't try to be some high class art film. What it is is a straight-forward, tough, mean and downright fun little gem that manages to be entertaining from start to finish. The film is certainly very manipulative because there are some moments that go over-the-top but you still can't help but be entertained. Woods is masterful playing the fast-talking con man and you really can't think of an actor who could have done a better job. The way that smirk just shows how conning he is is just perfect for the part. Gossett is an easy figure to cheer for and he really makes you care about the character. It's easy to say that this was the actors best part since AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN and he certainly delivers the goods. Oliver Platt is fun as one of the assistant con men and we get Heather Graham in a nice supporting role. Randall 'Tex' Cobb has a fun stint in the film as does character actor Marshall Bell. Dern also does a wonderful job in the role of the bad guy and just when you think you can't hate him any more the screenplay and actor make you reach a boiling point. Every film like this needs a great villain and Dern certainly delivers the goods. The ten boxing scenes are all extremely well-filmed and I'd argue that they're some of the most entertaining ever put on film. There's certainly not RAGING BULL quality but they didn't need to be. The film has enough twists and turns to keep a smile on your face and in the end DIGGSTOWN is just a flat out charmer.

This was completely watchable. I had never heard of it. As of now the ratings on here are between 5 and 10. I expected to find at least a few lowball reviews, stating e.g. that the plot is predictable, or that the fighting scenes are not realistic, or that the characters are cliche; but none! Very odd to have 40+ reviews and none under a 5. Worth a watch

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 find Diggstown to be one of the best movies of all time. My only regret is that I don't have amnesia so that I can go back and experience the ending for the first time again.

I love the background music. Storyline and plot are wonderful. I can watch this movie over and over again. There are at least 50 great quotes that I use on a daily basis. Acting is good throughout. Some of the best acting is by the extras in the background of the bar scenes.

James Wood is terrific, maybe his best role ever. Lou Jr. is very believable as an aging fighter. Bruce Dern plays a scumbag to a tee. Tex Cobb's best role also. Platt is terrific (as he always is). Only disappointments were Heather Graham - She gave a lackluster performance, and Hammerhead - he was way too young, should have been more aged.

James Woods went through a period, he later told Cigar Aficionado magazine, where all he did in movies was play "hard guys in suits." "Diggstown" is a classic example, yet a welcome relief, too, in the sense for once Woods wasn't taking himself at all seriously.

Woods is Gabriel Caine, a former dealer in phony art who is sprung from prison and hatches a scheme to take in John Gillon, the vicious boss of Diggstown, played by Bruce Dern. After Caine's buddy, Fitz (Oliver Platt), hustles Gillon's son out of his classic Corvette, Fitz and Caine give Gillon a chance to win it back by wagering a fighter named Honey Roy Palmer (Louis Gossett Jr.) can outbox any ten Diggstown men in a day.

While a buddy movie of a kind, most of the focus is on Woods' performance, delivered with his usual array of tics, smirky grins, long hooded stares, etc. It's easy to be cool when you know what the next line is in the script, but screenwriter Steven McKay's wit and way of winking at the audience keeps things from getting too stale.

Confronted by a warden about a prisoner escape Caine engineered: "The important thing is not to take this as a rejection of you personally."

Or how about when a hood puts a noose around Caine's neck and hoists him from a tree limb, saying it will be a pleasure to kill him. Would you be ruffled? Me, too. Not Caine: "I'll bet four dollars against an hour with your mother that it won't happen." After he's punched in the gut, Caine apologizes. "I'm really sorry. That was insulting. Five bucks."

Ultimately, "Diggstown" is a con movie where the audience is being conned. Like "The Sting," we are given some information but a few surprises along the way, which are turned with varying degrees of skill. Unlike "The Sting," "Diggstown" suffers from many implausible moments, a painfully weak finale, and out-of-thin-air subplots that go nowhere, especially one involving Heather Graham, who kills you with those eyes so much you almost overlook how bad her performance is. Platt, a terrific actor who never seems to find a worthy project, has a great introduction and then largely fades from view.

But what you get is more good than bad, and at times brilliant, especially when Honey Roy has his day in the ring with the Diggstown Ten. It's a memorably directed sequence by Michael Ritchie, alternately harrowing and hilarious, with Gossett a pillar of strength whether his opponent is a guy named Hammerhead or some palooka he needs to carry long enough for Fitz to milk the crowd with side bets.

"You're the one that kept drilling me that half the money's in the acting," Honey Roy tells Caine.

Actually, all the money's in the acting in "Diggstown," but Woods, Gossett, Platt, and Dern are more than enough to compensate for the inanities that sometimes crop up around them. Not a TKO, but a pretty good con you won't mind being taken in by.

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.

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.

I love introducing friends to "Diggstown." Without exception, their reactions are, "Holy crap! How come I've never heard of this movie??!!" Then they ask to borrow it.

I had honestly no idea this movie existed until it was brought up on a Facebook post which honored the passing of the great Lou Gossett Jr who sadly left us earlier this year in March at age 87.

I loved Gossett especially in Roots and certainly in An Officer and a Gentleman but to me he never really seemed to find any truly exceptional movies worthy of his talent after his big Oscar win for the latter.

Well this was free on Tubi and I think this is an overall excellent addition to his filmography. James Woods, Heather Graham Oliver Platt and Bruce Dern also give fine performances.

I don't know why this movie isn't more well known. It's kinda like The Sting meets Rocky. This was 1992 so perhaps people were tired at that point of five Rocky movies and didn't want to invest in more boxing flicks because this did ok with critics but was a huge box office flop.

It is predictable and has cliches but there are also a couple surprises along the way and all around it's the strength of the cast that makes this an above average flick.

Michael Ritchie does a very competent job directing as he did with The Candidate Bad News Bears and the first Fletch film.

Also the pacing is more than adequate that despite some flaws I was never bored for a second which certainly helped.

I would say pacing and the performances especially of Gossett and Dern is what made this a more than adequate movie for me.

It's no Sting, Rocky, Raging Bull or Officer and a Gentleman but it's a well acted sports dramedy that's imperfect but I still think very well worth seeing and among Gossett's best work for sure though the whole cast is good.

Give this a stream. Despite its imperfections I would also say it's sorely underrated and worthy of more praise. I'm surprised it doesn't have a cult following because I think it could be a great cult film if more people get a chance to see it. So here's your chance. Has flaws but never boring for a second and totally worth an hour and a half.

One of the lesser known sports movies from the early '90s casts James Woods as a con artist just out of jail who bets that his boxer can defeat anyone in town. Michael Ritchie's "Diggstown" is overall a harmless movie, although it feels like it doesn't really get going until about the midpoint. Louis Gossett Jr. Puts on the movie's most effective performance as the boxer, a man who feels like his best days are behind him. Heather Graham is a really babe in an early role.

In the end, there's nothing wrong with the movie, but it emphasizes the sports factor over the comedy, which left me wanting more. It's also been cringe-inducing to see James Woods onscreen ever since, amid the MeToo thing, Amber Tamblyn revealed that he came onto her when she was sixteen.