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.

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Taglines:

A story about a man, the woman he loved, and the men he fought for.

---

Genres:

Drama

---

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

F.I.S.T stands for the "Federation of Inter State Truckers".

---

Quotes

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

---

Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theatre 3000: Quest of the Delta Knights (1998)

---

Soundtracks

"Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"
Written by J. Fred Coots
Lyrics by Haven Gillespie
Performed by Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters
Courtesy of MCA Records

User Reviews

Good, epic story

This is an unappreciated film, mostly because it's star doesn't exactly have a good reputation as an 'actor'. This film is definately worth catching and it is worthy of repeated viewings. The music too is perfect for the film. It charts the rise of a Union leader from his humble beginnings to his fame. The story sustains the attention of the viewer throughout the picture. Stallone is better in the earlier scenes as a young Johny Kovak. His acting limitations come about as we see him as an older man. All he does his makes his voice a little husky and the make up on him (and other members of the cast) is ineffective. Early in his career, kovak has the dilema of bringing in the mob for help after an unsuccessful strike which results in one of his best men being killed. If he brings them in, he can enforce his will on the big companies and make the union very strong. Without them, he has little chance of the union growing. To the dismay of his best friend, he takes them in. His decision comes back to haunt him. Stallone tailored the script so he can play the good guy, originally Kovak wasn't a nice man. There is a nice scene with him and Brian Dehenny who later would turn up as Rambo's nemesis in first blood. I would certainly recommend fans and non fans of Stallone to catch this movie.