F.I.S.T (1978)

Johnny Kovak joins the Teamsters trade-union in a local chapter in the 1930s and works his way up in the organization. As he climbs higher and higher his methods become more ruthless and ... See full summary »

Director:

Norman Jewison

Writers:

Joe Eszterhas (story), Joe Eszterhas (screenplay),

Stars:

Sylvester Stallone, Rod Steiger, Peter Boyle

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sylvester Stallone	...	Johnny Kovak
Rod Steiger	...	Senator Madison
Peter Boyle	...	Max Graham
Melinda Dillon	...	Anna Zarinkas
David Huffman	...	Abe Belkin
Kevin Conway	...	Vince Doyle
Tony Lo Bianco	...	Babe Milano
Cassie Yates	...	Molly
Peter Donat	...	Arthur St. Clair
John Lehne	...	Mr. Gant
Henry Wilcoxon	...	Win Talbot
Richard Herd	...	Mike Monahan
Tony Mockus Jr.	...	Tom Higgins (as Tony Mockus)
Ken Kercheval	...	Bernie Marr
Elena Karam	...	Mrs. Zerinkas

Storyline

Johnny Kovak joins the Teamsters trade-union in a local chapter in the 1930s and works his way up in the organization. As he climbs higher and higher his methods become more ruthless and finally senator Madison starts a campaign to find the truth about the alleged connections with the Mob.

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Plot Keywords:

senator | trade union | 1930s | investigation | revenge | 

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Taglines:

A love story between a man, a country, the people he led and the woman he loved.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Hungarian Lithuanian Latin Italian

Release Date:

17 August 1978 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

F.I.S.T.

Filming Locations:

Attercliffe, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$11,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chateau Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

145 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scene where the company sign was pulled down in front of the factory could only be filmed once. They only had one sign, which could not be replaced if it was damaged.

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Quotes

Babe Milano: Nobody's 100%... Nobody.

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Connections

Referenced in Neues aus der Anstalt: Episode #2.2 (2008)

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Soundtracks

"Stompin' at the Savoy"
(uncredited)
Written by Chick Webb, Benny Goodman, Andy Razaf and Edgar M. Sampson

User Reviews

A glimpse of what Sly could have been

This is a real hidden gem of a film. Thought provoking, intelligent and times indignant, without resorting to sentimentality.

Contrast this,with the commercially lucrative but artistically meaningless "Crash, Bang, Wallop" movies that Stallone became synonymous with in the 1980s.

Stallone can act when he wants to, and FIST amply demonstrates this wasted potential.

Based (very loosely) on the life of the Teamsters boss, Jimmy Hoffa, FIST charts the rise and fall of a Trade Union leader. A cautionary tale of how noble causes can be sullied by ambition and hubris.

I highly recommend it, if only to convince others that Stallone occasionally turned in a credible performance without the promise of a big pay day.