User Reviews

The sport of professional boxing takes another beating in this tragic and powerful re-make of the Rod Serling Playhouse 90 teleplay. The film opens from the viewpoint of Mountain Rivera, a once ranked heavyweight, being pummeled by a youthful Cassius Clay. Rivera loses the fight, beaten so senseless that when asked where he is (NYC) he responds "I'm in Pittsburgh and its raining". When the the fight doctor examines him he makes it clear this broken down pug is all washed up. This puts his manager Maish in a bind since he bet Mountain wouldn't get past the fourth round with some thugs who also lost money because of his guarantee. Maish needs cash fast and the only way he can get it is to get his washed up fighter to wrestle. Rivera considers it degrading (remember it's 1962) and refuses.

Requiem is top heavy with strong performances from its quartet of leads. Jackie Gleason as sleazy Maish is given more to work with here than his Oscar nominated Minnesota Fats. He's a desperate man, wracked with guilt but ready to sell out Mountain to stay breathing. Mickey Rooney gives probably his finest adult performance as Army, the trainer who has Mountain's best interest at heart. Julie Harris as the social worker assigned to find him employment seems incapable of giving anything less than solid performances in everything she does and she does not disappoint here. Then there is Anthony Quinn doing what he does best but this time with a battered machismo that's barely holding together. Body broken, dreams shattered, he is a combination of punchy and naive; a hulking gruesome monster, but still a child inside. His plight is uneasy to witness and Quinn in conveying it has never been better.

Also deserving mention is night club owner and performer Madame Spivy playing Ma, the hood owed money. Dressed in a man's trench coat and hat she displays an offbeat menace with a clipped sardonic delivery that makes more than clear she is a woman not to be trifled with.

Director Ralph Nelson keeps things claustrophobic and low lit to emphasize the grim existence of the characters far from the big paydays and glamor of pay per view in Vegas. Their futures seem about as bright as the dark rooms they live in and the empty deserted streets they walk.

While it may not rank as one of the great fight films of all time,(unrestored cuts from the original print hamper the film's rhythm) Heavyweight's combination of excellent acting and story make it worth going the distance.

I don't think I had ever seen this movie from beginning to end before but had the chance to do so when it came up recently on a cable channel. One feels, after watching it in its entirety, as one does after having listened to Mahler's 9th symphony - you are emotionally drained and devastated. The movie is Exhibit A in the prosecution's case that movies were better made in the past than today. It is impossible to imagine something this excellent being produced today. The movie makes no plays for cuteness or humor, and never seeks to soften its razor-sharp edges. It is grittily real from beginning to end. Actually, it surpasses reality, as all great art does, in letting us look starkly into the cruel realities of human existence. The acting is absolutely top-notch from all the leads. One is reminded that Jackie Gleason, after all the eye-popping excesses of "The Honetmooners" (as great as that series was, for what it was) was a truly superb actor. I cannot think of a movie in which Anthony Quinn surpassed himself in his role as Mountain Rivera - tough, beaten up, beaten down, loyal, honest and yet with a sensitive core deep within. Mickey Rooney shines just as brightly. The script is brilliant, economical, realistic, and revelatory of the characters; we forget just what a brilliant writer Rod Serling was. Of course one of the reasons the movie could not be made today is that it forgoes the obligatory happy ending (which was used, evidently, in the TV version); the movie follows its dark logic all the way to the final, devastating scene.

This is a golden oldie if there ever was one. Adapted from Rod Serling's earlier `Playhouse 90' TV drama, it improved greatly on the original by taking full advantage of the film medium, including moody film-noir lighting, an excellent music score, and superb direction. Anthony Quinn is excellent, getting all the pathos out of the role without overdoing it. Mickey Rooney and Jackie Gleason, neither of whom is renowned for subtlety and restraint, hit just the right note in their performances, as does Julie Harris. The ending of this film couldn't be more different than the `Playhouse 90' ending. One of the more bizarre elements of this film, which was not in the original TV play, is the character of Ma Greeney, a really frightening person and the only example I am aware of in film of a lesbian gangster (and in 1962, yet). I can still remember how startled I was to see this character when I first watched this film on TV back in the late 1960s.

The new DVD of `Requiem for a Heavyweight' offers both a full-screen and wide-screen presentation. The quality of the transfer is really outstanding. The liner notes indicate that it is mastered in high definition. While I don't have the hardware to watch it in high-def., I can say that on an ordinary monitor it looks outstanding. Perhaps the sharpest DVD picture I've ever seen. The sound is clear, and the subtitles are very helpful in picking out dialog that may be indistinct, or not easily understood because of Anthony Quinn's manner of delivering the lines while in character.

However. It seems to me that at least one whole scene and a part of another scene is missing. I distinctly remember Maish (Jackie Gleason) telling Ma Greeney what he would do to her if she weren't a lady. In response, she laughs and says `that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me.' This is part of the early scene where Maish is attacked in an abandoned boxing ring by Ma's thugs. There is another whole scene I can recall in which Mountain (Anthony Quinn) is practicing holds with a wrestler. He asks that the wrestler stay away from his injured eye, and when he purposely goes for the eye, Mountain punches his lights out. The cuts I recall seeing on TV years ago always included these scenes, and I've never seen this shortened cut of the film before. It's still a great film, but I really miss these two scenes.

A sad, heartbreaking, and somewhat disturbing story. Quinn is totally believable as Mountain Rivera, a boxer who, perhaps, has been in the game too long and finds himself forced out. While his world-weary cut man (Rooney) is protective of him to an extent, his manager (Gleason) only views Rivera as a paycheck. An unemployment agency staff person (Miller) sees something in Rivera that prompts him to go above and beyond the call of duty to help him get a job. All of the leads are extremely good. It appears that most of the film takes place in the dark, highlighting the seamy side of boxing. The only daytime scene is when Rivera visits the unemployment office, and even then, it appears that the place has no windows to see outside. The office is just as closed up and restricted as Rivera's limited choices after his career ends. The actress who portrayed the underworld figure that Rivera's manager has a connection to was appropriately evil and creepy. The very last scene, filled with a sense of finality and resignation, is powerful.

******SPOILERS****** Getting knocked out by Cassius Clay in the seventh round proved to be the end of the line for former heavyweight contender Louis "Mountain" Rivera, Anthony Quinn. After the fight in Mountain's dressing room the fight doctor checking the damage to his left eye tells his manager and trainer Maish and Army, Jackie Gleason and Mickey Rooney, that he can't allow Mountain to fight anymore. The next punch to his head can very well bind or even kill him.

His brains scrambled his fists busted in danger of losing his eyesight 17 years in the fight game is all the battering that Mountain's body could take. Now after 17 years it was time for Mountain to hang up his boxing gloves and go into another line of work, but what kind of work could Mountain do? Unknown to Mountain and his trainer Army his manager Maish had given the Ma Greeny mob the word that his fighter won't last more then 4 rounds with the young and hard hitting Cassius Clay and they place a lot of money on the tip that Maish gave them. Mountain going more then 4 rounds with Clay cost the Greeny mob big and it was up to Maish to come up with the money by the end of the month or else Maish won't ever have any need for money again. Without Mountain being able to fight anymore the only way Maish can get the money for the Greeny mob is for Mountain to become a professional wrestler and thus making a joke of himself entertaining the public. This time instead of taking punches Mountain will be taking laughs.

Rod Serling's hard hitting screen-play about the fight game and how it chews up and spits out those who are in it like Louis "Mountain" Rivera when it no longer has any use for them. Touching performance by Anthony Quinn as the broken down Mountain who has to humiliate himself by being a clown in the ring as a wrestler after being a proud warrior in the ring as a boxer. Also very moving is Julie Harris as Grace Miller the social worker who does her best to get Mountain a job as a youth consular only to have him lose it by getting drunk celebrating getting it.

As hard hitting as the punches thrown in the ring and as powerful as those boxers in the ring taking them. Mountain makes a fool of himself to save his crooked managers, Maish, hide so he could have the money to pay back the mob that he owes them, but that ended his friendship with Maish. It also educated Maish about being honest and loyal to those who trust and depend on him which is something that he didn't know about up till then. The film ends with Mountain swallowing his pride and accepting what fate had in store for him.

Jackie Gleason is in his element as promoter/manager/trainer of a broken down end-of-the-road boxer "Mountain Rivera" played brilliantly by Anthony Quinn. After 17 punishing years getting battered in the Ring "The Mountain" sports the scars, brain paralysis and the "shot" hoarse voice of an ex-fighter who is played to the hilt by Quinn. Mickey Rooney as "Mountain's" trainer is also sensational in his role. The whole cast in this film is simply fantastic. The writing of Rod Serling (of "Twilight Zone" fame) is masterful to say the least. Julie Harris who tries to provide hope for Rivera's future is beautifully and "tenderly" rendered on screen. The sleazy nature of the boxing business in the seedy surroundings of the cockroach infested hotel rooms is starkly defined in this black and white celluloid. There is a scene with Mickey Rooney and Jackie Gleason playing cards reminiscent of "The Honeymooners" with Art Carney when Gleason explodes in exasperation at Rooney who delays playing his hand at "gin" rummy. This is a taut and brilliantly portrayed film that everyone should see. Muhammed Ali (as Cassius Clay) is hauntingly shot at the beginning of the film. Jack Dempsey, the former heavyweight champ, is also shown at his restaurant in New York. The corruption and fear in this business is tellingly displayed. In fact this is a "must see" and "must own" kind of film. A Knock Out! As an aside, Jackie Gleason was so great on film partly because of his experience in live vaudeville shows. He grew up in abject poverty as a boy. This forced him out at an early age to make a living. The greatness came from hard times, talent and an insatiable work ethic. Thus the great talent of Jackie Gleason began to shine to the point of dethroning Milton Berle out of the top TV spot in 1954 as "The Honeymooners" stormed on screen. So many great talents from this era developed in the same way. Poverty and hard times had a way of producing talented star entertainers in the 30's and 40's. Perhaps this explains the lack of talent on screen today.

I had missed out on an Italian TV broadcast of this acclaimed boxing drama in the 80s and, even if it did get released on DVD on both regions, I never got to pick it up until now because its lack of any significant supplements kept pushing it back. Anyway, I got to watch and own it now and it was certainly worth the wait as this must surely rank among the best films that deal with boxing. Interestingly, REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT was originally previewed at a much longer running time (featuring some 16 minutes of additional footage) but the version I watched is the more familiar 86-minute cut.

The film was superbly written by Rod Serling – best-known for writing many of THE TWILIGHT ZONE (1959-64) episodes and introducing the show – who, among others, provided the screenplay for such notable films as PATTERNS (1956), SEVEN DAYS IN MAY (1964) and PLANET OF THE APES (1968). Actually, this was the fourth filming of the play and previous TV versions – both made in 1957 – starred Jack Palance and, of all people, Sean Connery in the role played here by Anthony Quinn!

The four leads are all outstanding: Quinn gives what is arguably his most moving performance as the dim-witted boxer who cannot even talk coherently with all the beatings he took in the ring and might even lose his sight if he keeps at it much longer; Jackie Gleason is excellent as Quinn's manager who is driven to bet against his own man in order to collect some fast dough and pay off his debts to an androgynous racketeer breathing down his neck; Mickey Rooney is just terrific as Quinn's loyal handler (and an ex-prizefighter himself) who quickly sees through all of Gleason's schemes to keep Quinn in the ring for his own personal gain; and Julie Harris as the lonesome social worker who takes pity on Quinn and tries to get him employed away from ringside perils. The blooming MARTY (1955)-ish romance between Quinn and Harris is perhaps a bit too good to be true and occurs rather too suddenly for this cynical viewer but it does not in any way detract from the film's stifling recreation of the seamy ambiance –strikingly similar to that of THE HUSTLER (1961), also featuring Jackie Gleason – aided in no small measure by Arthur J. Ornitz's noir-ish lighting and Laurence Rosenthal's jazzy score, not to mention the appearance of real-life boxing pros such as Cassius Clay (playing himself as one of Quinn's ringside opponents) and Jack Dempsey.

Ralph Nelson was an erratic director with pretensions: I've watched 8 of his films so far and a few more have been numerous times on TV – FATHER GOOSE (1964), ONCE A THIEF (1965), THE WRATH OF GOD (1972) – so I guess I should make an extra effort now to catch them the next time they're on; REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT, while actually his debut film, remains possibly his most satisfying work all round and deservedly earned him a nod from the Directors' Guild of America.

It's easy to pick out Jack Dempsey and Muhammed Ali, but there are many others in the cast. The movie fades in on a tracking shot running the length of a hotel bar, examining the faces of a bunch of retired boxers watching the Clay-Rivera fight on TV. In order of appearance: Alex Miteff (wearing a beret), Abe Simon (with an eyebrow bandage), Gus Lesnevich (holding a cigarette lighter), Steve Belloise (bald guy; he later plays the hotel bar desk clerk in a short exchange with Mickey Rooney), Rory Calhoun (black guy with a beer), Paolo Rossi (big Italian-looking guy with a beer), Willie Pep (wearing a fedora), and Barney Ross (the older guy in the suit, sweater, and tie).

1962's "Requiem For A Heavyweight" (RFAH, for short), which was written by Twilight Zone's - Rod Serling, was, at times, a very moving and heavy-hearted tale about an ageing boxer who now finds out (after years of being hit in the head) that he's completely washed-up in the only profession that he's ever known.

Set on the decidedly seedy-side of NYC, RFAH is a tough, gritty, little tale about heavyweight boxer, Lewis "Mountain" Rivera (played quite convincingly by Anthony Quinn), and his final humiliation when he inevitably discovers the bitter truth about his sleazy, underhanded business manager whom he had trusted for years.

Effectively filmed in stark b&w, RFAH is also notable for the cameo appearances of 2 famed boxers Cassius Clay (aka. Muhammad Ali) and Jack Dempsey.

If you enjoy hard-hitting, downbeat and totally unglamourous fight flicks, then RFAH is sure to please your tastes with its decidedly "rough-edged" realism.

Rod Serling, of Twilight Zone fame, deserves kudos for this wonderful screenplay about an over the hill fighter played by Anthony Quinn, whose life and legend are at the behest of his corrupt and cynical manager, Jackie Gleason. Trainer Mickey Rooney is the only person in cinematic history who can call Gleason a "fink" and make it sound authentic. When Quinn's character can't cut it any longer, he tries to find meaningful work. However, he's taken one too many blows to the head, and has offered his allegiance to someone willing to betray him for a hint of the glory of the old days. Quinn's performance as the punch drunk fighter is full of pathos and extremely well done -- his finest hour in my opinion. Serling has much to say about the human spirit, love, and friendship gone awry. Beautifully photographed in black and white, this film deserves multiple viewings.

This is another review from my mini-marathon of original live TV classics and the movies they made of them. I've done "Marty" and will do "Requiem for a Heavyweight", "Bang the Drum Slowly" and "The Days of Wine and Roses". I'd love to see the original "12 Angry Men" with Bob Cummings but it doesn't seem to be available. I'd love to see a cable channel devoted to these old shows, even some non-classics if they represented early work by famous actors, directors and writers, (as so many of them did). But this will do for now.

I believe that of all the famous live dramatic presentations of the 1950's, the greatest of them all was Rod Serling's Requiem for a Heavyweight, the premiere show of perhaps the best of all the anthology shows, Playhouse 90, to which Serling was a major contributor. It's the ultimate story of human dignity, (and how many stories are explicitly about that?).

The locations are seedy gyms and boxing arenas, a corner bar and some streets. The only "opening up" between the TV and film versions is a chase scene between Maish, (Jackie Gleason) and some hoods that takes him through the streets and back alleys. The real difference is the casting, which involves several giants of show business.

The underrated, (for most of his career) Jack Palance is "Mountain McClintock" on TV, a bumbling hulk of a fighter who is still a young man, (33), in age but ancient in any other way. He retains some cognitive ability but not much and a certain gentleness as well as a blind faith in his manager. But he's reached the end of the road and doesn't know where to go. Palance looks like his own ghost, trying to comprehend the present and oblivious of the future.

Anthony Quinn, who was personal friends with a number of boxers, inherited the role, (now "Mountain Rivera") for the movie. He is a great actor and he gives a great acting performance as Mountain. But it always seems to be a performance. When he's supposed to be hurt, he acts hurt. When he's supposed to be sensitive, he acts sensitive. But he doesn't seem to be the same guy in both scenes. He is a little too intelligent and philosophical in the scenes where he's not climbing out of the ring, too much like the real Quinn. He is performing Mountain Rivera. Jack Palance BECAME Mountain McClintock. It was a shock to see him in an interview on the same tape as the erudite man he actually is. He was "Mountain" in every minute of every scene of the TV show.

Jackie Gleason, (Maish), and Mickey Rooney, (Army, the trainer), are two of the colossi of 20th century show business and it's interesting to see them work together. Except that Gleason's performance seems to be missing something, as if he really didn't understand his character, even though he must have known many people like him. Rooney comes off better. Of course he has the better lines, although some of them appear to have wound up on the cutting room floor as some of Ed Wynn's best lines from the TV show are absent. One thing I liked was that Army was obviously an old fighter himself, with the scars on his face. He was presumably Maish's meal ticket before Mountain came along, which adds something to the story.

The story of Ed Wynn's performance is interesting and touching. He was a life-long comedian who punctuated his performances with silly laughter and other bits of business. His son, Keenan, was afraid that, in this live show, he was going to do that, which would have ruined anything. Ed was terribly nervous for fear of the same thing and because he'd never played drama before. His nervousness only made it more likely that he'd resort to his mannerisms. They actually rehearsed on the side with Ned Glass, who played the bartender, to take over the role if Ed broke down, which was a real possibility. Instead, he came through with flying colors in a legendary performance. The knowledge of this story is part of the legend. It's possible that Glass, (or Rooney in the film) might have been as good but the performance wouldn't have been as dramatic an achievement as what Wynn did.

I like Keenan Wynn's Maish much better than Gleason's. He has a haunted, desperate look. The best Gleason could do is look dyspeptic. Kim Hunter and Julie Harris, as the employment counselors, are a wash, although Julie has more to do in the film. The real fighters employed as the washed up barflies add a lot to the atmosphere. Mountain has an awareness that he doesn't want to be one of them. (Some of them were known to have suffered from dementia). I like the tragic ending of the film better than the hopeful one of the TV show, although I prefer Maish and Army going off with the young middleweight at the end, their hopes renewed, as we see on TV. Maish's angry anti-boxing diatribe at the end of the film rings true enough for boxers but false and out of character for him.

A very depressing movie.

This has none of the heart of the original, incredibly moving teleplay from October 11, 1956 on Playhouse 90. This is just one incredibly downbeat movie.

The acting is fine, especially Julie Harris as the social worker Grace Miller. And Anthony Quinn is fine as Mountain Rivera. Jackie Gleason and Mickey Rooney are good in their roles.

But it can't compare to both the original cast of Jack Palance, Kim Hunter, Keenan Wynn and Ed Wynn - and the way the script originally went.

There are changes in this, big changes, mostly awful ones, that instead of making you cry because you're so moved, instead leave one with a feeling of nothing but depression, of remorse.

This is a movie about hopelessness.

The ending is dismal.

I gave this a second chance and while the acting was fine, I'm sorry I watched it. The original will always be the only one for me from now on.

This Rod Serling written story originally was televised on the old CBS Playhouse 90 program which was live TV. This film produced by David Susskind sticks pretty much to the Playhouse 90 version with a few variations and a couple of characters. Anthony Quinn seems more like a heavyweight than Jack Palance did for one thing and the individual that Maish Rennick is in debt to is also more colorful than in the Teleplay. Jackie Gleason, Mickey Rooney and Julie Harris are as good in their roles as the actors who were in the Teleplay. The ending is slightly different and I found it to have more stark realism than the Teleplay. Check out the fighter that Mountain is in the ring with when the film starts.

Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason and Mickey Rooney made this film a great black and white film classic for all future generations. However, as a young boy living in Richmond Hill, Queens during the 1940's, I had Abe Simon (great prize fighter, who fought Joe Lewis) a neighbor who lived down the street. Abe Simon was an adviser for this film along with Willie Pep (World Featherweight boxing Champion 1942-48/ 1949-50) Abe Simon looked like a giant and had huge hands, but was a very kind and down to earth person and well liked. Willie was also an adviser in this film for Anthony Quinn and later became a bouncer in NYC. These great boxer's gave this film the great realism that it has and it was great to see them along with another great boxer, Jack Dempsey, who owned a food establishment on Broadway NYC. This film clearly shows the horrible results of boxing in the ring for a profession, however, all boxers and future boxers should be praised for their great gifts in that field of endeavor.

Aged boxer Luis 'Mountain' Rivera (Anthony Quinn) is knock-outed by Cassius Clay. He is in bad shape and the doctor says he can't fight anymore. The bookie is after his manager Maish Rennick (Jackie Gleason) when Mountain lasted 7 rounds instead of 4. In addition to a $1500 bet, the bookie lost a bundle which he wants paid back. His trainer Army (Mickey Rooney) takes Mountain around trying to get a job. Social worker Grace Miller (Julie Harris) takes pity on the poor sap. Mountain has to swallow his pride and wrestle to save Maish's life. Anthony Quinn is amazing and so is Jackie Gleason. It is an unrelenting sad dark movie. It can also drag at times but the performances are so compelling.

A stellar cast led by Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason and Mickey Rooney highlight this great movie about a down and out fighter named Mountain Rivera whose manager (Gleason) - deep in debt to gamblers - can't afford to let him quit even though he's well past his prime and can't fight anymore. I was expecting this to be a boxing movie, but there's really no boxing involved aside from the opening scenes. It's really a human interest story, and the story of the sad figure of the ex-boxer who can't fight but who also can't seem to let go rings true - and, with the benefit of time, perhaps it's made to seem even more real by the presence in the opening scenes of the movie of Cassius Clay, playing himself in a fictional fight against Rivera. Clay, of course, would become Muhammad Ali - perhaps the greatest fighter ever but also one who, in the end, had trouble letting go even though his body had failed him.

Quinn's performance as Rivera was, I thought, a little bit awkward at times, but he definitely captured the emotional angst of a man whose entire life had been boxing (in the days before boxers made huge dollars) and who suddenly faced the uncertainty of life outside the ring. Julie Harris plays an employment counsellor who enters his life in the hope of helping him make the transition to a new life. She played the part well, but frankly I thought the quasi-romance between the two was too contrived and just not believable. Gleason's performance as Maish overshadowed Quinn's and, to me, was the highlight of the movie. Rooney played a smaller part as Army, Rivera's cut man who thinks of Rivera as family and who is appalled when Maish comes up with the idea of making the proud Rivera a professional wrestler to pay off his gambling debts.

There was a great musical score by Laurence Rosenthal, which seemed completely appropriate to the movie, and director Ralph Watson did a great job. I especially appreciated the way the closing scenes of the movie in the ring seemed to match and contrast with the opening scenes in the ring. Overall, an excellent movie

Requiem for a Heavyweight

You can tell a boxer is over-the-hill when they come to the ring wearing their bathrobe.

After getting knocked out by Cassius Clay, "Mountain" Rivera (Anthony Quinn) hangs up his gloves in hopes of landing a less violent gig.

But when his manager's (Jackie Gleason) life is threatened by a bookie, Mountain must put his aspirations on hold, swallow his pride, and enter the wrestling ring.

Despite his embarrassment in the theatrics of the sport, Mountain agrees to the match-up, much to the chagrin of his career counselor/ love interest (Julie Harris).

Based on the teleplay by Twilight Zone's Rod Serling, this film adaptation of the scribe's sci-fi free script is altered for cinematic purposes, but the pathos of an archaic contender is still present, and is pure Rod Serling.

The worst thing about being a retired boxer is that with your slurred speech everyone keeps enrolling you in A.A.

Green Light

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I saw the original Requiem for a Heavyweight starring Jack Palance in 1956, and I absolutely loved it. Jack was fantastic; I couldn't imagine anyone else doing a better job in the role. Now that I've seen both versions, the Playhouse 90 and Hollywood versions, I still can't pick a favorite. To me, Jack Palance and Anthony Quinn give excellent and different performances that can't be compared against each other. Jack is sweet; Tony is rugged. Jack is clueless; Tony is brain-damaged. Rod Serling's story is very heavy, but the 1962 version is a little heavier, so my advice is to start with whichever level of drama you're in the mood for.

In the story, Anthony Quinn gets one too many hits to the head and is forced to give up the only job he's ever had. His manager Jackie Gleason isn't happy about it because he's racked up an enormous amount of gambling debts. While he tries to talk Tony into humiliating himself by entering the world of wrestling so he can make more money, Mickey Rooney tries to look out for Tony's best interests. Mickey is the trainer, and he knows firsthand what it's like to be at the top of the world and suddenly have your career taken away. Both Jackie and Mickey are very good in these dark, emotional roles, but they're no comparison to Tony's performance. His raw, heartbreaking performance falls under the category of "What does it take?", as he wasn't even nominated for an Oscar. I've seen more than forty of his films, and this is probably the best performance he's ever given. If you liked Somebody Up There Likes Me, this movie might become your new favorite. I don't know how he balances the fine line of having brain damage and trying to hold onto the wits he has left, but it's scarily accurate. In one moment, he's able to carry on a conversation with Julie Harris, and in the next, he lapses into a flashback in the ring. He's brought out of his episode, and while part of him doesn't really know what he's done wrong, another part of him is terribly sorry and doesn't know how to make it right. If you're like me and you get affected by powerful performances, get out your Kleenexes.