Very well executed

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Tommy Riley (James Marshall) is new in an inner city Chicago school and gets in trouble with some of the black students called the Storm Troopers led by Shortcut. Abraham Lincoln Haines (Cuba Gooding Jr.) comes to the rescue. Tommy's father (John Heard) is in trouble owing gambling debts. His mother is dead leaving the family in debt for the hospital bills. Dawn (Cara Buono) likes Tommy and gets him a job at her family diner. Underground boxing promoter Pappy Jack (Robert Loggia) hooks him into a fight run by Jimmy Horn (Brian Dennehy). Noah (Ossie Davis) is the experienced trainer. Tommy befriends fellow boxer Romano (Jon Seda). He quits after one fight but Jimmy Horn won't take no for an answer. Jimmy buys out Tommy's father's gambling debts.Firstly, the fights look ugly. I don't mean they are filled with dirty tricks. I mean that the choreography is poor. The other problem is that Cuba doesn't have enough time on screen. He's a big part of the climax and should have much more time to set it up. Also everybody looks a bit too old to be in high school. James Marshall is very stiff which somewhat fits the character. It doesn't make the character compelling. The movie still works in a limited fashion.

I remember getting advance tickets to this the year it was released. A friend and I went along to see it not knowing what to expect. We knew absolutely nothing about the film. Sometimes this can be the best way to experience a film and occasionally you discover a cinema gem, like this one.The film is about Tommy Riley (James Marshall), a teenager who is forced to move with his father from Bridgeport to a run down, troubled part of Chicago. Once there he discovers that his father is in debt to a loan shark. He is then drawn into a world of underground boxing to pay his father's debt.The boxing scenes are well shot and choreographed, the cast including James Marshall, Cara Buono, Cuba Gooding Jr., Robert Loggia, Ossie Davis, John Heard & Brian Dennehy really make the movie. If it wasn't for their performances the movie wouldn't be half the movie it is. Robert Loggia & Brian Dennehy are great if a little over the top, but the over the top performances work in this film. But it is James Marshall as the lead that gives the film the humanity it needs. His portrayal of the troubled teen forced to fight is great. However the standout performance has to go to Cuba Gooding Jr. He stands out in this film as a true rising star. Unfortunately a few years later after he won an Oscar for his performance in Jerry Maguire he seemed to give up on the more challenging roles.This film should be more well known, but it seemed to fall under most people's radar. A shame as it is a very entertaining film. For pure entertainment this is one of the better films released in 1992. If you like boxing films then this one is definitely one for you.

Gladiator (1992) Columbia DTV 101m Director: Rowdy Harrington Stars: James Marshall, Cuba Gooding Jr., Robert Loggia, Brian DennehyTommy Riley is a new transfer to the slums of Chicago. Out of his element, Tommy keeps to himself but winds up caught up in the addictive world of underground fighting circuit. But the neighborhood and the elements surround him as the ring threatens to end him for good."Gladiator" is highly derivative and definitely unoriginal but this mixture of urban teen drama and "Rocky" has its own charm and I enjoy it. It may not be original but it has a little heart and is well done and acted. (3.5/5)/

"Gladiator" (1991) tells of a young down-on-his-luck student (Marshall) who takes up underground boxing to pay off his father's gambling debts. In the process he, of course, kicks everyone's butt like some kind of supercharged "Rocky" and captures the heart of the resident babe (Buono). Both Marshall and Buono turn in wooden performances while surrounded by a bunch of B-listers who all appear to be in this gig for a paycheck. Lackluster, obvious, predictable, and very ordinary, this "Gladiator" is one to miss. Now in broadcast purgatory. (C-)