It doesn't get much better than this; "Requiem for a Heavyweight" has long been recognized as a hidden, somewhat underrated classic. Every word, every scene captures the despair and gloom of the underworld of professional prizefighting, especially for those fighters who never made it to the top and whose career is now over, with little to show for it.
Anthony Quinn's portrayal of the washed up prize-fighter, Louis "Mountain" Rivera, is especially poignant and touching and completely believable. Quinn stumbles through his lines as he is supposed to, sounding like a punch- drunk fighter who has taken many blows to his head. He looks and sounds exactly as you would expect a veteran heavyweight boxer to sound.
Jackie Gleason -- underrated as a dramatic actor -- is perfectly cast as Rivera's hard-bitten manager, Maish Rennick. Rennick has no illusions about life, and realizes that as Rivera's career as a boxer is now ending, so is his career as his manager.
The movie is filmed in black and white with a film noir quality to it, which perfectly captures the gloominess that permeates the story. Real-life boxers help add another dose of realism to the story.
This is writing and directing at its finest. The screenplay, by the legendary Rod Serling, is superb and there isn't a wasted line or scene anywhere. The production, by Davis Suskind, draws you in from the opening scene (featuring a young Mohammed Ali, then still known as Cassius Clay), and never lets your mind wander for a minute. In short, a gem of a film and one that you will not regret watching.
Anthony Quinn's portrayal of the washed up prize-fighter, Louis "Mountain" Rivera, is especially poignant and touching and completely believable. Quinn stumbles through his lines as he is supposed to, sounding like a punch- drunk fighter who has taken many blows to his head. He looks and sounds exactly as you would expect a veteran heavyweight boxer to sound.
Jackie Gleason -- underrated as a dramatic actor -- is perfectly cast as Rivera's hard-bitten manager, Maish Rennick. Rennick has no illusions about life, and realizes that as Rivera's career as a boxer is now ending, so is his career as his manager.
The movie is filmed in black and white with a film noir quality to it, which perfectly captures the gloominess that permeates the story. Real-life boxers help add another dose of realism to the story.
This is writing and directing at its finest. The screenplay, by the legendary Rod Serling, is superb and there isn't a wasted line or scene anywhere. The production, by Davis Suskind, draws you in from the opening scene (featuring a young Mohammed Ali, then still known as Cassius Clay), and never lets your mind wander for a minute. In short, a gem of a film and one that you will not regret watching.