Diggstown

Starring: James Woods, Louis Gossett, Jr., Oliver Platt, Bruce Dern, Heather Graham
Directed by: Michael Ritchie
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Sport
1992

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A con man (James Woods) recently out of prison heads to Diggstown to pull off an elaborate con- bet the town's richest resident (Bruce Dern) that an aging boxer (Louis Gossett, Jr.) can beat any 10 men from the city within a 24 hour period. However, this con man seemingly meets his match with his calculating opponent, as both men engage in a battle of wits to prevent themselves from losing everything they have.

Review:

Tim: Diggstown works as a movie because it is both an engaging con man movie, and a wildly entertaining boxing movie. This film combines those two different genres beautifully, into a funny, lighthearted, yet serious movie. This film is truly enjoyable to watch. It is intelligent, as it will keep you guessing as you watch this long con unfold. It is also pretty exciting, as the boxing scenes are intense. Plus, its very premise is exciting- a boxer fighting 10 men in 24 hours. This film has a lot going for it, and it doesn't disappoint.

This movie is helped by having a sterling cast is place. James Woods is terrific in the lead role. He is charismatic, yet slimy enough to believe he really is an ex-con. And yet, he is not a wholly unsympathetic character. He is a con man, a trickster, and yet, one of the most likeable characters in the movie. He manages this balance beautifully, and just works so well with the rest of the cast. Louis Gossett, Jr. does a good job as well. He is believable as the aging boxer, and works so well with the rest of the cast. Gossett, Jr. and Woods are just tremendous together, and their back-and-forth accounts for some of the movie's best moments. I really liked their love-hate relationship.

The rest of the cast is impressive as well. Bruce Dern was perfectly cast as Diggstown's corrupt, win-at-any-costs boss. He is just such an unlikeable guy throughout this movie- his performance makes you hate him and root against him, which is exactly what this movie needed. If you didn't want to see him ruined so badly, this movie wouldn't have worked nearly as well. I also loved seeing Oliver Platt in a supporting role. His big scene in the early stages of the film is incredible, and one of my favorites. He is so funny as he drunkenly takes a number of Diggstown residents for all they're worth, in cards and pool. This is the scene that first endeared this movie to me. Sadly, as the movie goes on, Platt has less and less to do. I wish he would have had a few more good scenes in the latter stages of the film. Rounding out the cast is Heather Graham, who gives a small but good performance. I enjoyed seeing her in this film, and although her scenes are few, she puts in a good effort and adds to the movie with her presence.

I really like that this movie is a blend between a con movie and a boxing movie. Had the film strayed either way too far, this film wouldn't have worked as well as it did. The con game is brilliant, as it keeps us off balance- who is going to come out on top of this battle of wits? We generally care and want to know. However, that is not enough- we also need those exciting boxing scenes. Intelligently, the movie doesn't completely abandon its con game story for the boxing scenes. While Gossett, Jr. does good work, he isn't the most believable boxer. He looked a bit slow and lacking power in many of his punches. This is unfortunate, but mostly forgivable. I liked that the 10 men he faced each presented a different challenge- they weren't all straight-up boxing matches.

Diggstown does a good job of keeping the audience off-balance yet entertained. There are a number of quite good twists, which we don't exactly see coming. The movie also takes a lighthearted approach to the story- this is almost a comedy, and I liked that it wasn't overly serious. Diggstown is certainly a different movie, but it truly works, and I really enjoyed it.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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