In the same spirit as Rocky comes this power driven film starring and co written by Sly Stallone and featuring music by Frank Stallone.
Itâs a heart felt story about a trucker who gets involved in a custody battle over his only son.However, itâs also a tale of a man's path to the arm wrestling world championships.
Small time man and cross country trucker Lincoln Hawk, is behind the steering wheel of a massive 4 wheeled diesel machine. His life is the road and the road is long and lonely.
Hawk has firm control of the wheel, but his life has been steered off course and now is his last chance to pull it back over, over the top.
In Hawk's world, a mans only as good as the workload he can handle, respect comes from the hardest of hard work and everything has to be earned by breaking your back.
Men like Hawk have to rely on their muscle and hustle to make ends meat, but unlike a lot of other guys in his shoes Hawk has a strong heart that begs out for a family. He misses his son more than anything and regrets the mistake he made many years ago when he left.
Thereâs a lot of exciting and emotional scenes in this film besides the arm wresting ones, like the scene where the son tries to run away or the one where they spend the night together in the truck.
I really like the scene that has a small but sweet montage of an early morning exercise with the sun rising in the background, this is where the soundtrack really begins to shine, and highlights the tenderness of the film. You feel a sense of pride and connection from father and son being on the open road together with nothing but miles of country ahead. Its scenes like those that really pull the viewer in and show them that its not just another go get em , beat em up action flick, like a lot of Van Dame or Steven Segalâs stuff.It definitely has character and compassion.
In a great scene with father encouraging his son to take the wheel, Stallone actually shows a pretty good sense of humor. Itâs a beautiful moment when the boy realizes that doing isnât always as easy as it looks, and thereâs a great satisfaction that comes from taking control in your own hands. Apparently thatâs something noon else had taught him. Itâs a big moment, just like a father teaching his son to ride a bike for the first time, and there are continual moments like that.
Stalloneâs character gives a fantastic speech in one scene where the despair of loosing and feeling defeated is something he helps his son understand is a part of life, and something he must work to overcome. Itâs a very strong message that carries itself through life, its something every father really should teach their child. I think Stalloneâs character realizes that a big part of being a good father is being a good teacher. This is the reason his wife wanted the boy to be with his dad, she knew it was whatâs best, for both of them, to grow.
The movie is pretty much a drama on wheels, about parenting, family, and surviving together, making each other stronger. There are some really nice shots of landscape and open road, all set to an upbeat 80s soundtrack.
The movie really kicks up the intensity when he looses his son and has to go it alone in Vegas where he competes to win a brand new truck and 100 grand in a take all tournament.
Its nostalgic as an 80s film and really stands out as some of Stallones best work right along side Rambo, Rocky and a few others. The 80s was a time that really glorified the body and this movie fits right in with all the hoopla.
Also there are alot of good quotes and fun quotes you can take away from this, most noteably when Hawk says to his son,
â The world meets nobody halfway, and you gotta do whats best for you.â This is what the story is all about. This message sells it.
The arm wrestling in this film is no joke. The team hired some big names and top guys to perform including the AW golden boy and multi time world champion, John Brznek who has a small but noticeable role on camera. The action is without a doubt exciting and indeed over the top. There were some really unique and interesting characters specifically designed for the film, and they play out fantastically well on screen, just like a pro wrestling show you might watch each guy has his own style of intimidation.Heck the movie even features Hall of Fame Wrestler, the Legend Terry Funk.
They packed the arena full of people and got the crowd pumping for such an event. I donât think you could possibly film better AW scenes.
Just like the music so boldly proclaims, âWinner takes it all, looser takes the fall.â In the end the strongest prevailed and what was strongest was the fathers overwhelming desire to be with his son. Iâm not surprised there are so few movies about arm wrestling. I admit itâs definitely not the most popular or respected form of athletic competition, but, if there can only be one arm wrestling movie Iâm glad itâs this one.
I believe it does a great job of highlighting the sport and its enthusiasts. I also feel like it encouraged a lot of people to discover the sport. Itâs great to have a film like this that not only promotes arm wrestling and applies it to life, but makes for a wonderful father and son story. This movie is a tremendous example of the how success is not limited to resources, and that achieving a higher goal is possible through hard work, and determination
