TTo quote the late, great Leonard Cohen: Everyone knows the dice are loaded, everyone knows the fight is decided. This is a cynical view, but one I fully subscribe to. Perhaps this explains why so many of the comforting movies I watch are about con artists.
Admittedly, not all classic con films make for exhilarating viewing. Nobody watches The Grifters when they need a pick-me-up, but a lot of people do. “Lady Eve,” “Paper Moon,” “The Sting,” “Dirty Rotten Scandrels,” “Ocean’s Eleven” – countless twists and turns, hip earworm dialogue, and a lovable rogue obsessed with a man. The multi-layered cast of actors proves that it can be watched over and over again.
Although they rarely enjoy their cultural footprint, my favorite in the genre is 1992’s Dual Wield entry. Diggstown AKA Midnight Sting from the UK.
I use the term “both fists” literally. “Digstown” is as much a boxing movie as it is a fraud movie. Set in rural Georgia, James Woods stars as Gideon Cain, an ex-con who finds himself back in trouble after quitting poker. Teaming up with his former partner, middle-aged boxer “Honey” Roy Palmer (Louis Gossett Jr.) and his loyal protégé Fitz (Oliver Platt), Kane sets his sights on the prestigious community of Diggstown. It was built as a poor boxing and gambling center. He was brutally intimidated by the reputation of legendary pugilist and potential challenger Charles Macon Diggs. Diggs’ former manager, John Gillon (Bruce Dern).
After publicly humiliating his spoiled and foolish son and having a run-in with Gillon, Kane offers him a huge bet if Honey Roy can take on 10 Diggstown men in one day. Bet. The stage is thus set for a 24-hour boxing marathon pitting the corrupt townsfolk against the outsiders, with each side desperately trying to outwit the other in and out of the ring, and performing some of the greatest cinematic feats of all time. Reach high tide.
Even if the plot seems reminiscent of The Sting, it is, right down to its musical characteristics (though James Newton Howard’s score is more blues than ragtime). The impact is obvious). But whereas The Sting, for all its charm, is a little too long, baggy and earthy, Diggstown is lean, mean and just the right amount of vulgarity.
The latter quality comes from the lead. In the ’80s and ’90s, no one played the bad guy better than Woods. Here, he’s a scumbag with a heart of gold, and his loyalty to his friends, especially Honey Roy, the closest thing to a full-fledged hero in the movie, would have been a scumbag if it weren’t for Woods’ innate charisma. It’s enough to put us head over heels for those who are already doing it.
Meanwhile, Dern is perfect as the rival, a shameless self-promoter turned ruthless town boss. Gillon appears to have been molded specifically for Dern, right down to the visible nose hair. When a major retrospective of the actor’s legendary career finally arrives, his big locker room speech is a darkly hilarious twist on sports movie clichés, and his His team holds hands and prays. The focus should be on “the strength and courage to rip this man limb from limb.”
Similar credit must be given to director Michael Ritchie (adapting Diggstown Ringers by Leonard Wise, from a screenplay by Stephen McKay). One of the most eclectic directors of the 1970s, he created classics both mainstream (The Candidates, Bad News Bears) and cult films (Prime Cut, Smile). I sent it out. However, after the box office hit Fletch in 1985, the quality of his work declined significantly. “Digstown” is back on track.
Diggstown’s upbeat, moral atmosphere is more reminiscent of 70s movies than 80s or 90s. Richie makes it clear that Kane and his friends are good guys, but he never tries to make them good. Still, Ritchie is so adept at capturing the danger and thrill of boxing that by the time the final fight between Honey Roy and a few hitman ringers happens, if his name is Rocky If it were Balboa, we wouldn’t be any more emotional (and kudos also to Howard’s evocative score, which would rival Bill Conti’s score any day of the week). is).
Diggstown was a huge flop when it was released and is largely unknown to the age group that couldn’t get it on cable at the time, but individual moments remain iconic among those who saw it: Dern ‘s aforementioned speech, a fist pump with a white towel, and a repeated hand gesture that serves as perhaps the biggest “Oh shit!” The moment of realization that colors the screen.
All of this combines to make Diggstown the perfect feel-good movie. It’s a refreshing yet exciting mash-up of genres, with enough hangout vibes to enjoy it in the background, but also enough stakes to inevitably grab your full attention.
Beyond that, it also provides light in our current moment of darkness. Ritchie made overtly political films, especially early in his career, even though the premise of working-class people accepting the lies of a flamboyant showbiz dictator seemed like a reaction to political criticism. I wouldn’t classify Diggstown that way, even if it felt like it. It was a story from the Reagan era, and it’s still somewhat relevant today (though you might not tell James Woods about it).
And while I’m not suggesting we expect any real political or moral insight from Diggstown, perhaps what we really need right now is someone who speaks truth to power rather than someone who speaks truth to power. , one wonders if they are a better class of fraudsters than simply speaking truth to power. -Fool all the other bastards.
