Walter Hill’s best film in a long while – a terrific, unpretentious prison boxing flick. It’s less sparse than say Hard Times, more reminiscent of The Jericho Mile. Ving Rhames is terrific as the world champ boxer who winds up in gaol on a rape charge – defiant, proud, cocky, brave, stupid. It’s a very complex character that feels very authentic. Wesley Snipes is also good as the more- sympathetic-but-not-entirely prison champ.
There’s a number of enjoyable subplots – Peter Falk as a Mafioso, Fisher Stevens as Snipes' assistant, the involvement of a black gang and the mafia, Michael Rooker as a corrupt guard. There's some clunky exposition, such as the flashback press conference scenes, and the final boxing match wasn't that memorable, but the lead up is pretty terrific.
The bit where Snipes refuses to fight Rhames dishonorably is reminiscent of a scene in Hard Times where the guy taking on Charles Bronson refused to cheat.
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