Gladiator (1992 film)
Encyclopedia
Gladiator is a 1992
1992 in film
The year 1992 in film involved many significant films. -Top grossing films:-Awards:Academy AwardsGolden Globe AwardsNational Film Awards...

 sport film, directed by Rowdy Herrington
Rowdy Herrington
Rowdy L. Herrington is a Hollywood director and writer currently residing in Malibu, California. He is married and has no children.-Filmography:-Education:...

, and starring Cuba Gooding, Jr.
Cuba Gooding, Jr.
Cuba M. Gooding, Jr. is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his Academy Award-winning portrayal of Rod Tidwell in Cameron Crowe's 1996 film Jerry Maguire, and his critically acclaimed performance as Tré Styles in John Singleton's 1991 film Boyz n the Hood.-Early life:Gooding was born...

, James Marshall
James Marshall (actor)
James Marshall is an American actor, best known for playing the character James Hurley in the cult television series Twin Peaks and its 1992 prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, and for his role as PFC Louden Downey in A Few Good Men.Marshall was born James David Greenblatt on January 2,...

, Brian Dennehy
Brian Dennehy
Brian Mannion Dennehy is an American actor of film, stage and screen.-Early years:Dennehy was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the son of Hannah and Edward Dennehy, who was a wire service editor for the Associated Press; he has two brothers, Michael and Edward. Dennehy is of Irish ancestry and was...

, and Robert Loggia
Robert Loggia
Robert Loggia is an American film and television actor and director.- Early life :Loggia, an Italian American, was born on Staten Island, the son of Elena Blandino, a homemaker, and Benjamin Loggia, a shoemaker, both of whom were born in Sicily, Italy...

. The film tells the story of two teenagers trapped in the world of illegal underground boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

. One is fighting to pay off gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...

 debts accumulated by his father. The second is fighting for the money to get out of the ghetto
Ghetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...

. While being exploited by a boxing promoter, the two teens become friends. The climax pits the two friends in the ring
Boxing ring
A boxing ring is the space in which a boxing match occurs. A modern ring, which is set on a raised platform, is square with a post at each corner to which four parallel rows of ropes are attached with a turnbuckle...

 against each other.

Plot

Tommy Riley (James Marshall
James Marshall (actor)
James Marshall is an American actor, best known for playing the character James Hurley in the cult television series Twin Peaks and its 1992 prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, and for his role as PFC Louden Downey in A Few Good Men.Marshall was born James David Greenblatt on January 2,...

) and his father have just moved in an attempt to start a new life. Tommy's father has accumulated many gambling debts, but has found a new job that requires him to travel extensively, leaving his son alone at home. Tommy also has a hard time fitting in at school, having crossed some gang members led by "Shortcut". A loan shark, named Sharkey, sends two collectors to Tommy Riley's house where he is threatened unless his father pays up $1250 in interest on a $15,000 gambling debt. He takes a job at a local diner and enters into a romantic relationship with Dawn (Cara Buono
Cara Buono
Cara Buono is an American actress, screenwriter and director, probably best known for her role as Dr. Faye Miller in the fourth season of the AMC drama series Mad Men.-Early life:...

), the daughter of the owner, but is jumped by the gang members outside the restaurant. Seeing how well Tommy is able to fight, a local boxing promoter by the name of Pappy Jack (Robert Loggia
Robert Loggia
Robert Loggia is an American film and television actor and director.- Early life :Loggia, an Italian American, was born on Staten Island, the son of Elena Blandino, a homemaker, and Benjamin Loggia, a shoemaker, both of whom were born in Sicily, Italy...

) offers Tommy a chance to fight in an illegal underground boxing operation. Tommy then agrees to fight one match, in exchange for $1,250 dollars in order to pay up the interest on the father's gambling debt.

After his father informs him that he will be alone for some time, Tommy progresses to his first fight. Tommy finds out that Romano (Jon Seda
Jon Seda
Jonathan Seda is an American actor, possibly best known for his role as Detective Paul Falsone on NBC's: Homicide: Life on the Street....

), a fellow student at his school, "Shortcut" as well as Abraham "Lincoln" Haines (Cuba Gooding Jr.) are all part of the illegal boxing matches. For his first fight, Tommy faces off with Black Death, a dirty fighter who uses elbows and low blows as well as a notoriously for a powerful right hand. To the surprise of many, Tommy upsets Black Death with the aid of his corner man, Noah (Ozzie Davis). The boxing promoter Jimmy Horn (Brian Dennehy
Brian Dennehy
Brian Mannion Dennehy is an American actor of film, stage and screen.-Early years:Dennehy was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the son of Hannah and Edward Dennehy, who was a wire service editor for the Associated Press; he has two brothers, Michael and Edward. Dennehy is of Irish ancestry and was...

) takes an interest in Tommy and attempts to recruit him into his ring of fighters. However, wanting to go on to college, Tommy initially refuses Horn's offers. However, after Horn buys off Tommy's father's $15,000 gambling debt from the loan shark, Tommy agrees to fight five matches in order to wipe off the debts.

Tommy enjoys a great deal of success and develops a friendship with Romano and Abraham "Lincoln" Haines, while he focuses on boxing and begins to ditch school. Later on Tommy learns about the reasons why Romano and Lincoln continue the fight, the former to send his father's body to Cuba and to make money, the latter to support his girlfriend and their baby daughter. Tommy continues to build up his reputation when Romano has a match against "Shortcut". Initially out boxing "Shortcut" with his footwork and speed, Romano is confident during the start of the fourth round. However, "Shortcut" secretly has his corner man apply a blinding fluid to his gloves in hopes of slowing down Romano. During the fourth round, Romano once again dominates "Shortcut" while Tommy watches and cheers him on. "Shortcut" then puts Romano in a headlock and rubs the fluid onto Romano's eyes giving him blurred vision. Unable to defend himself, "Shortcut" brutally beats Romano, until Tommy rings the bell in place of the distracted judges. Enraged by Short Cut's lack of sportsmanship, Tommy attacks Short Cut until they are broken apart.

After this match, Tommy begins to search for Romano by searching through hospitals. It is not until Noah advises Tommy to search the hospital for the poor and indigent where he finally finds a beat up Romano in a coma and declared brain dead. Enraged by this, Tommy fights Short Cut in his next match. However, before the match starts, Tommy notices Short Ct rubbing his gloves together. When Shortcut tries to put Tommy into a headlock, Tommy lifts him up and slams him on the ground before fluid gets into his eyes. Defending himself from a kick, Tommy then punches Shortcut under the belt and proceeds to beat him into submission, but he stops short of the savagry Horn and Pappy Jack want him to display and he lets Short Cup drop to the mat.

Later, Lincoln shows signs of possible brain damage as a result of a kick to the head, and is told to quit fighting for at least 60 days or else suffer permanent brain damage. Despite this, Horn arranges a match between Lincoln and Tommy with 20 grand to the winner. Afraid of killing Lincoln, Tommy takes a beating until Lincoln is unwilling to kill Tommy as he was earlier saved by him, saying "damn you to hell" due to his loss of his only livelihood. In revenge, Horn, a former boxer himself—who lost only one fight--, punches Lincoln severely enough to knock him out of the ring.

Furious, Tommy challenges Horn to a match: If Horn wins, Tommy will continue to work for him indefinitely, but if Tommy wins, his father's debt is wiped clean. Horn accepts on the condition that they fight bare-knuckle. Horn's vast experience with boxing initially gives him the upper hand, and Horn's confidence influences him to play with and humiliate Tommy as a result. Tommy eventually uses the various forms of advice he's received throughout his brief boxing experience to out-think Horn: he fakes a broken hand to give Horn even more confidence, and then uses the element of surprise to finish him off, freeing himself from Horn's contract. Tommy and Lincoln shake hands, affirming their friendship. Tommy tells Noah, "Make your enemy think you are weak when you are really strong." Noah smiles as he hugs the champion Tommy.

Cast

  • James Marshall
    James Marshall (actor)
    James Marshall is an American actor, best known for playing the character James Hurley in the cult television series Twin Peaks and its 1992 prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, and for his role as PFC Louden Downey in A Few Good Men.Marshall was born James David Greenblatt on January 2,...

     as Tommy Riley
  • Cuba Gooding, Jr.
    Cuba Gooding, Jr.
    Cuba M. Gooding, Jr. is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his Academy Award-winning portrayal of Rod Tidwell in Cameron Crowe's 1996 film Jerry Maguire, and his critically acclaimed performance as Tré Styles in John Singleton's 1991 film Boyz n the Hood.-Early life:Gooding was born...

     as Abraham Lincoln Haines
  • Robert Loggia
    Robert Loggia
    Robert Loggia is an American film and television actor and director.- Early life :Loggia, an Italian American, was born on Staten Island, the son of Elena Blandino, a homemaker, and Benjamin Loggia, a shoemaker, both of whom were born in Sicily, Italy...

     as Pappy Jack
  • Jon Seda
    Jon Seda
    Jonathan Seda is an American actor, possibly best known for his role as Detective Paul Falsone on NBC's: Homicide: Life on the Street....

     as Romano
  • Brian Dennehy
    Brian Dennehy
    Brian Mannion Dennehy is an American actor of film, stage and screen.-Early years:Dennehy was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the son of Hannah and Edward Dennehy, who was a wire service editor for the Associated Press; he has two brothers, Michael and Edward. Dennehy is of Irish ancestry and was...

     as Jimmy Horn
  • Ossie Davis
    Ossie Davis
    Ossie Davis was an American film actor, director, poet, playwright, writer, and social activist.-Early years:...

     as Noah
  • Cara Buono
    Cara Buono
    Cara Buono is an American actress, screenwriter and director, probably best known for her role as Dr. Faye Miller in the fourth season of the AMC drama series Mad Men.-Early life:...

     as Dawn
  • John Heard as John Riley

Soundtrack

A soundtrack containing a blend of hip hop and rock music was released on February 25, 1992 by CBS Records
CBS Records
CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...

. It failed to make it to the Billboard charts, but Warrant's cover of "We Will Rock You
We Will Rock You
"We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded and performed by Queen for their 1977 album News of the World. Rolling Stone ranked it #330 of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and the RIAA placed it at #146 on its list of Songs of the Century...

" was a minor hit on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

, peaking at 83. The soundtrack also contained the last appearance by the rap group, 3rd Bass
3rd Bass
3rd Bass was an American hip-hop group that rose to fame in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and was notable for being one of the first successful interracial hip-hop groups.-Career:...

.
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