Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Borserie it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

classicsoncall James Woods versus Bruce Dern was a pretty good casting call for this picture. Both effectively convey the type of smarmy characters that one usually finds behind the scenes of boxing fixes in movies dealing with the subject. As far as con jobs go, this isn't in the same league as "The Sting", but it still has it's moments with twists and trip-ups along the way that momentarily derail, but never stop Gabriel Caine (Woods) from pulling off that final win against John Gillon's (Dern) ringer.The one disconnect I had with the story line was when Gillon left ringside to confront the Busby Brothers about their payoff. I went back and checked out the scenes leading up to it and couldn't find anything that would have tipped Gillon off to the double cross. The ruse with Gillon forcing his son Robby to walk out of the fight was a neat twist to rig the count on how many men faced off against Honey Roy Palmer (Louis Gossett Jr.). Caine and Honey Roy had some fun working that black motivation thing, it came in handy against the Tank (Jeff Benson) and offered a neat wind up to the story.There's probably any number of interpretations one can offer for the resolution to the story. I guess the best one can go with would be Caine's ability to operate a few steps ahead of his opponent, figuring that Minoso Torres (Alex Garcia) would wind up heading for Diggstown when he got his prison release. Dern's character gave a sneak preview of how the tables would be turned on him when he gave a thumbs down to his boy Buck (Rocky Pepelli) earlier in the film.

tieman64 The majority of Michael Ritchie's early films focused on the competitiveness and ruthlessness of a then contemporary United States. Be it "Downhill Racer" (1969), "Bad News Bears" (1976), "Smile" (1975), "The Candidate" (1972) or "Semi Tough" (1977), all his films during this period are explicitly about competition, American institutions and individuals who put their personal goals (and/or profits) before a team, community or group (or vice versa).Like many directors of his era, Ritchie's career took a giant nosedive come the 1980s. But "Diggstown", released in 1992, toward the tail-end of Ritchie's career, remains a strong film. A fast and funny con movie, it paints a world of clever schemers and sinister cartels. Like Ritchie's earlier features, the cost of winning, rigged games and the dangers of organised power are themes which are brought up, but such things are mostly incidental. This is Ritchie in mainstream, crowd pleasing territory, and the film is far more optimistic than his earlier work. Amongst the cast, actors James Woods and Oliver Platt stand out as a pair of charismatic, clever con men. They take on a rigged world, and come out on top.7.9/10 - Worth one viewing.

preppy-3 Gabriel Caine (James Woods) has just been released from prison. He meets John Gillon (Bruce Dern) who owns Diggstown--a town full of boxers. He bets Caine that he can't find a man who can beat 10 Diggstown boxers in a row. Caine finds boxer Roy Palmer (Louis Gossett Jr.)--but he's 48 and might be too old to do it. The details of the plot are a little sketchy--I only saw it once back in 1992. My gym was giving out free passes to it and I figured why not? James Woods is a great actor and, even if the movie sucked, he would be good in it. I saw it with a friend at a small crowded theatre in Boston. It wasn't much to begin with and some characters seem to be there for no reason. I'm still not sure what Heather Graham was doing there (except looking great). But the movie and situations grew on you and, by the time the big boxing event came at the end, the audience was rearing to go. **PLOT SPOILER** It all leads to a GREAT ending which had my audience roaring, applauding and cheering like crazy! This happened well over 10 years ago and I have never forgotten the thrill of that moment. **END SPOILER** Also Woods was great and Dern chewed the scenery again and again and AGAIN. Wait till you see and hear his final prayer before the boxing match begins! This came out and bombed almost immediately--it's basically a forgotten movie. Still it's worth catching if you see it on TV or at the DVD store. It REALLY comes to life with an audience! I give it a 7.

pippahinchley-1 this is a superb movie that really should have been seen by many many more people than it clearly has been. The best James Woods performance I have seen , superb support from Oliver Platt, Bruce Dern and - well, everyone in it. The script is tight, sharp, incredibly clever and very very funny. I'm not a fan of boxing movies, don't let it put you off. yes, the sting ultimately revolves around a fight, well, ten fights, to be precise, against just one man - but really it's a hugely satisfying con movie that ultimately becomes about vengeance, paying for your actions and finding the morality amongst the money. It's brilliant. Buy it/get it from a video shop that has old movies, steal it, whatever it takes.