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Cheap thrills pack new boxing film

 
Published March 6, 1992|Updated Oct. 11, 2005

Poor Tommy Riley. While other high school students ponder their SATs, he has to worry about TKOs.

Tommy is a sensitive teenager who should be living in a 90210 zip code instead of Chicago's south side. This rotten environment thrusts him into the underground world of illegal boxing and a so-bad-it's-fun movie titled Gladiator.

If you have seen previews for this extremely violent diversion, you know what to expect _ something along the lines of Rocky 'N' the Hood. However, the visceral power of its fight sequences and sincere performances make Gladiator a guilty pleasure, like a junk-food binge.

Unlike the explosive mechanized mayhem of The Last Boy Scout, aptly named director Rowdy Herrington likes his violence mano-a-mano. Faces contort under the impact of crushing blows, fingers break and brutal boots to the face are as important as a left hook in the ring.

These chilling spasms of violence are the most believable moments to be found in a Swiss-cheesy script by Lyle Kessler and Robert Mark Kamen.

Discerning moviegoers have been warned. Millions of action fans who don't mind swapping cinematic skill for a few cheap thrills should give this Gladiator a thumbs-up signal.

Tommy (James Marshall) is a new kid on the block in these mean streets. His widowed father (John Heard, in a rare, sympathetic role) is a salesman searching for a job to pay off a pile of gambling debts. That leaves Tommy alone in a much different environment from the suburbs they left behind.

Minutes after his school enrollment, Tommy is at reluctant odds with a tough gang, including the baddest boxers on the unsanctioned fight cards. When Tommy finally pummels one agitator, his fighting style catches the eye of profane promoter (Robert Loggia), who wants Tommy in the ring.

At first, Tommy is enticed by the extravagant paydays for pugilism. When the sinister Mr. Horn (Brian Dennehy) senses that Tommy may not stick around for more boxing bonanzas, he puts on the squeeze: fight and we'll pay off your Dad's debts to bookies, he tells Tommy.

Of course, Tommy accepts the deal with resentment and the Playskool puzzle pieces fall into place for a climactic showdown.

Battle lines are drawn between various factions and every dispute is settled in a ramshackle ring for the entertainment of drunken gamblers. Final outcomes are as predictable as a fixed fight and just as insulting to the audience. This is a boxing film featuring as many cliches as clinches.

Loggia's character chooses Tommy for the hoariest of reasons: "I like your style, kid," he says. One boxer friend of Tommy's may as well have USDA Dead Meat tattooed on his forehead. Viewers quickly recognize him as the sacrificial lamb whose slaughter

spurs Tommy into vengeful action. Gladiator is an ugly, dumb fantasy for adolescents.

In order to appeal to those younger ticketbuyers, Gladiator gives prominent publicity to its musical soundtrack, hyping stars like Seal, P. M. Dawn and Gerardo. Fans are forewarned that only snippets of these songs are heard. This hype will disappoint anyone expecting giddy musical sequences like House Party or Juice provided.

An attractive cast makes the most of the insipid storyline. Marshall brings his charismatic brood to the big screen from Twin Peaks with pin-up precision. Cuba Gooding Jr. (Boyz N the Hood) is only a marginal character, but his angry presence adds a nice counterpoint to Marshall's.

Three of our finest character actors _ Dennehy, Loggia and Ossie Davis as a mush-mouthed trainer _ have a wonderful time with their paint-by-number roles.

Gladiator would like to be the Rocky of this generation. One major difference lays out that ambition with a 10-count.

What Herrington forgot is that Rocky Balboa didn't win his first match with Apollo Creed. Victory wasn't as important as going the distance against impossible odds. Even Sylvester Stallone lost track of this key element when Rocky became invincible in sequels.

Tommy Riley merely wants to make enough money to erase his father's debts and exact vengeance on villians. This mercenary, sadistic attitude doesn't make Tommy a good role model, much less a candidate for fairy-tale hero.

MOVIE REVIEW

Gladiator

Director: Rowdy Herrington

Cast: James Marshall, Cuba Gooding Jr., Brian Dennehy, Robert Loggia, Ossie Davis, Cara Buono

Screenplay: Lyle Kessler and Robert Mark Kamen from a story by Kamen and Djordje Milicevic

Rating: R; violence, profanity

Running time: 100 minutes