zkonedog Type "Gladiator" into any search engine for movies, and you'll get pages and pages of Russell Crowe's gladiator epic. Yet, at the bottom of those lists, you may just find this little gem that you've never heard of. If you are a fan of pugilistic big-screen experiences, this is one that at the very least will keep you entertained.For a basic plot summary, "Gladiator" tells the story of Tommy Riley (James Marshall), a white teenage youngster who (via parental circumstances) is moved into an all-black school and neighborhood. After having enough of the constant bullying and needing money badly, Tommy is recruited into a shady boxing circuit by Pappy Jack (Robert Loggia). After befriending similar hard-luck case Lincoln Haines (Cuba Gooding Jr.), Tommy runs headlong into "big boss" Jimmy Horn (Brian Dennehy) when a huge conflict of interest rises between them."Gladiator", in terms of themes, is about as simple a movie as ever was made. I remember watching it off television as a kid and even then being about to follow the themes. While that simplicity keeps it from being a classic, it also makes sure that the movie ages pretty well. Whether you watching this movie in theaters in 1992 or on your flat-screen in 2014, it plays pretty much the same.Perhaps what shines most from this movie, though, is the performance by Brian Dennehy. That is what I remembered most from the original viewing and what drew me towards finding it again. Along the way, though, I noticed great performances from Gooding Jr. and Ossie Davis as well.If you are not a fan of boxing movies, I would say you can probably skip this one, as without an appreciate of the boxing-related themes the rest of the narrative will be a bit too simplistic to hold your interest. If you love the "sweet science", though, this one will at least entertain you with some drama and adversity themes.

Wilder Movie Reviews I remember getting advance tickets to this the year it was released. A friend and I went along to see it not knowing what to expect. We knew absolutely nothing about the film. Sometimes this can be the best way to experience a film and occasionally you discover a cinema gem, like this one.The film is about Tommy Riley (James Marshall), a teenager who is forced to move with his father from Bridgeport to a run down, troubled part of Chicago. Once there he discovers that his father is in debt to a loan shark. He is then drawn into a world of underground boxing to pay his father's debt.The boxing scenes are well shot and choreographed, the cast including James Marshall, Cara Buono, Cuba Gooding Jr., Robert Loggia, Ossie Davis, John Heard & Brian Dennehy really make the movie. If it wasn't for their performances the movie wouldn't be half the movie it is. Robert Loggia & Brian Dennehy are great if a little over the top, but the over the top performances work in this film. But it is James Marshall as the lead that gives the film the humanity it needs. His portrayal of the troubled teen forced to fight is great. However the standout performance has to go to Cuba Gooding Jr. He stands out in this film as a true rising star. Unfortunately a few years later after he won an Oscar for his performance in Jerry Maguire he seemed to give up on the more challenging roles.This film should be more well known, but it seemed to fall under most people's radar. A shame as it is a very entertaining film. For pure entertainment this is one of the better films released in 1992. If you like boxing films then this one is definitely one for you.

HawkHerald Tommy Riley (James Marshall), a tough white Irish kid from Bridgeport, moves with his down-and-out father to Chicago's south side. Tommy's family was up heaved by his mother's death from cancer and his father's subsequent descent into gambling and alcoholism. The new neighborhood is predominantly black and Tommy is left alone as his father pounds pavement looking for a new job. After defending himself using his Golden Gloves honed boxing skills against a local street gang called the Stormtroopers outside of a diner where he works as a dishwasher, Pappy Jack (Robert Loggia), a recruiter for an underground boxing competition, convinces Tommy to fight an unregulated amateur boxing match. Tommy agrees, seeing a quick way to make some money to help pay his father's gambling debts. Tommy enters the world of underground boxing run by sleazy promoter and former light heavyweight contender, Mr. Horne (Brian Dennehy). Horne's world is one of money, blackmail, and violence. He's also not above manipulating his young fighters like Tommy's friends, Romano (John Seda) and Lincoln (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), for a quick profit. Tommy struggles to keep above the temptations of the quick money from boxing while hanging on to his honor. Good performances all around, especially from Cuba Gooding, Jr., and an interesting take on the old underground fighting plot. Satisfying entertainment for a weekend afternoon.

xredgarnetx Wooden-faced James Marshall stars in GLADIATOR as a deprived youth caught up in the world of underground boxing. He must make good on some debts of his father's (William Heard), the paper on which is being held by fight promoter and all-around bad guy Brian Dennehy. Marshall makes friends with fellow boxer Cuba Gooding and philosophical corner man Ossie Davis. Director Rowdy Harrington does a great job staging the boxing matches, which include knees to the head, headlocks, choking, shots to the groin and kidneys, leg sweeps, body slams and drugging opponents. Some of the matches are difficult to watch once the nasty stuff starts and the blood begins flowing freely. But that's why GLADIATOR is rated R and not PG-13. The young Cuba Gooding outacts everyone else in this early '90s boxing flick, although Dennehy is in full, frothing-at-the-mouth mode as a man interested only in making money, even at the expense of lives.