the audience applauded

Highly Overrated But Still Good

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

This is Stallone's first movie after "Rocky" . Obviously a tough act to follow. Sadly , this and "Paradise alley" didn't even came close to match the quality of John G. Avildsen sport drama. It doesn't mean however , that they are not worth watching , just for the fact to see Stallone in a dramatic role.FIST is a fictional biopic of a fictional organized labor leader very loosely based on the life of Jimmy Hoffa. F.I.S.T stands for the "Federation of Inter State Truckers". It tells a story about a struggling blue collar worker back in the 1930s of USA. Soon he becomes an organizer for Labour Unions. "FIST" shows his rise to power and fall from grace."FIST" ignores the communists part in creating the formation of the unions, which is mistake on the movie part. On the plus side it shows well how corruption infected big unions. It's sad story about working class betraying itself.Good performance by Stallone , however the rest of the cast is rather mediocre and doesn't leave impression. Watch out for Brian Dennehy (sheriff from "Rambo first blood").The screenplay written by Stallone and Joe Eszterhas ("Basic instinct") is not bad , if not slightly cliché and predictable . Bill Conti's music is nice , so is the photography by Laszlo Kovacs. The direction by Norman Jewison is solid.Good pseudo biography that towards the end runs out of steam and loses the clarity and effectiveness of the early sequences. It is still a nice little drama how noble causes can be sullied by ambition and hubris. It's sad that it was unappreciated back then and seems forgotten now. I give it 6/10.

One of the best Stallone films set in the 1930s in which gives a good performance as a worker who joins the Teamsters trade-union in a local factory and being accompanied by a fine supporting cast . It deals with a love between a man, a country, the people he led and the woman he loved . Johnny Kovak (Sylvester Stallone) is an employee who works his way up as organizer and leader of Federation Interstate Truckers . Meanwhile he falls in love and marries a worker (Melinda Dillon) . As he climbs higher and higher thanks his connection with the Mob (Tony LoBianco). As his methods become more corrupt and ultimately senator Madison (Rod Steiger ) begins a campaign to discover the truth about his allegedly greedy practices .This poignant film packs emotion , thrills , a love story political events and being quite entertaining though contains some ,predictable moments and cliché-ridden . The picture details biographic events about an Union leader , Jimmy Hoffa-lookalike, from his starts until his fall . Jewison cast some largely known actors as Sylvester Stallone , Melinda Dillon , Peter Boyle and a remarkable support cast as Richard Herd , Tony LoBianco , Peter Donat , Kevin Conway, Cassie Yates , Richard Herd and the veteran Henry Wilcoxon and several others . Stallone , also screenwriter along with Eszterhas creates an even more interesting character than Rocky Balboa . Atmospheric musical score including moving sounds by Bill Conti and appropriate cinematography by excellent cameraman Laszlo Kovacs.The motion picture is well produced and directed by Norman Jewison . He is a prestigious and veteran filmmaker, his greatest film is of course Jesus Christ Superstar . He directed successful movies as Fiddler on the roof , Agnes of God , Moonstruck , Thomas Crown and Cinncinati Kid . However , he also got some flops as Bogus, In country , Only you and Other's people money and his last picture titled The statement . He considers The Hurricane (1999) the last in a trilogy of racial bigotry movies he's realized, the first two being In the Heat of the Night (1967) and A Soldier's Story (1984). Rating : Good, worthwhile seeing for its epic moments and thought-provoking issues .

F.I.S.T. is one of the few films out there that illustrate Sly Stallone's great acting talents. Stallone really brings his character, Johnny Kovak, to life and gives one of his most memorable performances. This film shows that, having gone a different route, Stallone could have become a much better actor. After this film, Stallone had a few other good films but the majority were crumby sequels, cliché action films, and poor attempts at comedy. It's really a shame he didn't put his talents to better use like he did in his earlier work like Rocky, and Nighthawks.The film begins in the Great Depression of the 30's and follows the life of Johnny Kovak, a labourer who works at unloading trucks. Who, with his coworkers after being severely mistreated, and underpaid fights back against the company. This leads to Kovak becoming a member of the Union F.I.S.T, the Federation of Innner-State Truckers. At first idealistic, Kovak's morals and values are challenged when he has to get organized crime groups involved to get what's fair.My only complaint with the film is, in the later scenes were Stallone plays an older Kovak, his portrayal is a bit weak given his limited acting abilities at the time. This, however is only a minor complaint, he still gives a great performance.The script is good, all the characters are realistic and well fleshed out,and the great director, Norman Jewison puts his talents to good use in F.I.S.T. Also, filled with a fantastic supporting cast (including, Peter Boyle, and Rod Steiger) all these elements come together to make F.I.S.T. a film that is definitely worth seeing.

Earlier, I used to rate Sylvester Stallone only a good actor. But the day i saw this movie of him, i really respect him a lot as an actor. He is undoubtedly one of the finest actor of Hollywood. The way he acted in the film is unbelievable. One of the most powerful performance. This film is quiet simple but very impressive. All have played their part very well in this film. Stallone really has given his 200 percent in his film. But I found the end of the film little bit inappropriate but all over its a fantastic film. Strong story is supported by very strong performances which makes this film so special. It contains every aspects of a film i.e. love, emotions, action n etc. Its truly a movie which we must see before die.