There have been many bad movies involving pro wrestlers:
No Holds Barred: Hulk Hogan plays a guy named Rip who acts just like Hulk Hogan. I should have said he behaved like him. The way I wrote it, it sounds like Hulk Hogan is acting in the role of a guy who is also acting.
Hell Comes to Frogtown: Roddy Piper is hired by the government to impregnate as many women as possible so they can defeat a bunch of frog people.
Oh yes, I forgot to mention that his NAME is Hell. Sam Hell. That's where they got the title from.
Abraxas: Jesse "The Body" Ventura goes to outer space.
Anyway, all of these pieces of cinematic hooey now have a been surpassed, by Sting: Moment of Truth.
Sting: Moment of Truth is not just bad by the standard of "movies starring wrestlers," it's just bad.
It may be the worst film I have ever watched.
For starters it should be acknowledged that there once was a wrestler named Sting. I am pretty sure half of you read the title of this article and thought "Oh, he's reviewing the latest Sting CD. I guess it's called 'Moment of Truth.' Gee this website has really gone downhill. I don't know why I even bother reading it anymore."
Sting was probably the most popular star of the 1980s that NEVER made it to the WWF. Instead he ruled as one of the top stars of the WCW. Then he found Jesus.
A whole lot of the wrestlers find Jesus eventually. I don't know why, but wrestling seems to have a large "Born Again" contingent.
As I popped in the DVD I knew this could go one of two ways:
1. It could be a powerful, uplifting movie about a sinner who finds redemption.
2. It could be a ridiculous movie that makes wrestling and religion look silly.
3. It could be a... wait did I say 2 ways? Shoot! I had a 3rd way, too! Oh well.
The movie was pretty bad. The main problem with the film is that Sting is portrayed as a positive guy throughout. He doesn't go out with the guys, he is true to his wife, HE IS A GOOD GUY.
Then he gets saved. For what I wasn't sure. I guess Sting got cold feet about the whole "putting all your bad qualities up on the screen" aspect of a redemption story.
So, it's a boring story. But that is not why it's a BAD movie. It has plenty of OTHER reasons for that.
low production values:
The film recreated many of Sting's memorable matches in a series of re-enactments. These are done in an empty arena, but crowd noise and shots of a CLEARLY different event are spliced in to make the whole thing more surreal.
bad dialog:
Sting says "You don't know how big this country is until you drive non-stop."
Huh? Non-stop from where to where?
bad line reading:
He actually flubs the line and says "You don't know how big this country is until you drive non-STOCK."
Unless he was saying 'non-stock' as in "driving in a standard car, rather than a stock car" he flubbed the line.
Or maybe he meant that he was driving without any livestock.
The film ends with Sting retiring. He has since made public statements about wrestling being "Satan."
He has since ended his retirement and returned to the ring.
I think I will try to use "hooey" in conversation EVERY SINGLE DAY! You should try it too.
ReplyDeleteThis movie was great! Loved the music. At first sight, it appears to be nothing more than a television movie. It is entirely plot-driven with no real stand out characters or personalities. What makes the film work is excellent production design and a delightfully clever plot filled with many surprises. The movie is feather-weight emotionally, but the depth of the "con" and the way it is fashioned by screenwriter David Ward leaves you with a pleasant experience. The movie takes you back through Steve Borden's wrestling career and even includes his days tagging up with the man who would later become the Ultimate Warrior. Steve clearly struggles with his thoughts in the beginning, but after a nervous start with the haunting 'Fragile', he finds himself carried by the music, his mood shifts slightly, some members smiling, with the audience clearly warming to the strangely uplifting spirit of the night. And all the way through his career to this point. This movie showcases how it really is most wrestlers, outside of the WWE, most wrestlers have to travel all around just hoping for a break. This movie is a Christian movie, but not too overly Christian if you know what I mean. Really enjoyable! As a wrestling fan you will just love this movie as it shows highlights of the Stinger against Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Randy Savage, and even some updated footage against some of the NWA-TNA stars.
ReplyDeleteWith lesser actors, this movie may have been a forgettable piece of work. A mysterious gloved character, a crooked cop, the FBI, and a seemingly bigger con-man are some of the players who are involved in some events that seem to be manipulated by an unseen force. Filmed on September 11 2001, this film was meant to be, in Sting's words, "a joyous occasion", a live concert featuring re-interpretations of some of his best songs from his villa in Italy. As the events of that day unfolded, the performance was clearly not going to go ahead as planned. The scheduled performances in this movie were due to be a live webcast and clearly a lot of time and effort had been invested in it. Perhaps a day earlier, the show would have been quickly shelved. A day late, perhaps called off altogether.
The film is shot simply by Hill. No tricky angles or contrived camera movements are used. The action takes place simply in front of us. The production design by Henry Bumstead and James Payne recreates old-time Chicago through the use of built sets, matte paintings of a smaller sky-line, and some location shots. It gives the film an almost artificial look which is fitting considering it is a direct homage to the 1930's and the gangster pictures that so dominated that decade. The story is even furthered by title pages describing "the set-up, the hook, and the sting". They are turned like pages in a book, adding a drop of elegance to a crooked world. An iris is even employed in some scenes.
This movie is definitely lightweight entertainment. It does not provoke much thought or insight into what is happening on screen. Fun is the word for this amusing little film that depicts a masterful plan for a big steal which would be impossible to pull off today. Look out for Ray Walston in a hilarious role announcing horse races and their results as they are "happening" just after receiving word of the "real" race results from a back room in the betting house. These are good con-men.
I refuse to violate copyright law for ya, Taco. It ain't happening. Plus, the flick is only about $11.
ReplyDeleteWhat about good movies starring wrestlers?
ReplyDeleteThere's They Live with Roddy Piper and uh...maybe that's it for stariing in, but there were some good supporting roles by wrestlers. Such as
Hogan in Rocky 3, George the animal in Ed Wood and Jesse the body in Predator.
How about Louden Swain in Full Metal Jacket or Memphis Belle? He was great in those roles!!
ReplyDelete