dougdoepke There were a lot of boxing films back when the fight ring was king. None however are better than this one. That's thanks to powerhouse acting and a first-rate script (Serling). Quinn's unforgettable as the damaged fighter, his face a mile of battered road, with a voice to match. Now he's at the end of that road. After all, even an athlete's body can only take so much. Trouble is he's the meal ticket for manager Maish (Gleason) who owes money big time to gangland thugs who will take him on a ride if he doesn't pay up. So maybe the desperate Maish can talk the slow thinker into prostituting himself as a phony wrestler. After all, doesn't Mountain owe him after their years together. At least that's what the exploitive Maish claims. Still, Mountain's got a chance at a decent job, thanks to employment counselor Miss Miller (Harris). So what will Maish do, and, more importantly, what will become of the ex-pug.What a fine cast. Gleason's Maish is not so much mean or evil as he is weak, that is, a manager willing to take advantage of his hapless charge. His dour expression and tight manner are about as far from the boisterous Ralph Kramden (The Honeymooners) as night is from day. Then too, Quinn's got the slow-thinking stammer down perfectly, projecting real pathos behind his lumbering hulk. Rooney's role as trainer-handler is more incidental, serving mainly as the trio's observer and conscience. And, of course, there's Broadway's distinguished Julie Harris as what amounts to the conventional world's Miss Miller. If there's a flaw in the film, I suspect it's with her not-very-clear interest in Mountain's life. But maybe the ambiguity is intentional, her limits being reached once Mountain makes a pass.That scene where a drunken Mountain goes to interview on a job Miss Miller has arranged is almost painful to watch. Maish has sabotaged Mountain's chances by getting him drunk. Worse, the interview's at a ritzy hotel, and loosing an inebriated lug there is almost like the fabled bull in a china shop. To me, the scene shows two worlds coming wrenchingly apart, dashing Mountain's best hopes. In fact, it looks like the movie is really about the three man family and how it also comes apart. Hard to think of a fight film being poignant, but this one is. It's salutes all around, even to the appropriately seedy sets. All in all, the results show that author Serling was as much at home in lower city precincts as he was in the upper zones of twilight.

JasparLamarCrabb Ralph Nelson's hard hitting adaptation of Rod Serling's teleplay features a grotesque performance by Anthony Quinn as a punched drunk boxer struggling to come to terms with the fact that his career is over. He's helped (in vain) by employment placement specialist Julie Harris and stymied by shifty manager Jackie Gleason. The film is all about the acting and it's top notch. Quinn, who at times is a bit inaudible, carries the film and is in virtually every scene. Harris is terrific in an unlikely role and Gleason is very potent as a degenerate gambler facing mounting financial woes. The stunning B&W cinematography is by Arthur J Ornitz and there's a dynamite score by Laurence Rosenthal. Mickey Rooney, Stanley Adams and Madame Spivy (as "Ma") co-star.

grantss A searing masterpiece. Outstanding in its portrayal of a boxer who is forced to retire, and discovers that all he knows how to do is box. Also, that's all certain people want him to do...Great cinematography and direction. Shot in black & white, the use of shadows and light is superb.Brilliant character development and depth. It is painful to watch Mountain Rivera go through all his torment, stumbling along with no direction, easily manipulated. What makes it so much much more compelling is Anthony Quinn's performance in the lead role. Surely one of the great performances in cinema history (yet strangely overlooked, as was anything to do with this movie, at Oscar nomination time). Quinn acts out of his skin here, engaging you fully, and making you feel his pain and desperation.Good support from Mickey Rooney, Jackie Gleason and Julie Harris. Cassius Clay (later known as Muhammad Ali) and Jack Dempsey appear as themselves.Only negative comes right at the end. Conclusion feels rushed, and slightly misses its mark.One of the greatest sporting movies ever made. Among boxing movies its only equals or betters are Raging Bull and Million Dollar Baby.

djkla Like so many others have already said, this is a great film, and one that I've watched many, many times since the late-1960's. Somewhere along the line, though, it was unceremoniously edited by someone who should've left it alone. The cut to which I refer involves an exchange between Maish Reynolds and Ma Greeney at the end of the film. Reynold's has narrowly escaped death at the hands of Greeney's goons, and in that moment, Reynold's vindictively intones to Greeney, "I wish you were a man." Greeney laughs out loud and replies, "Maishey darling, that's the nicest thing anyone ever said to me!" Maybe some of you remember it, but it has been many years since any version I've seen still has it.