Crossing the Line (1990)
"The Big Man" (original title)

An unemployed Scottish miner (Liam Neeson) is forced into bare-knuckle boxing to make ends meet.

Director:

David Leland

Writers:

Don MacPherson, William McIlvanney (book)

Stars:

Kenny Ireland, Liam Neeson, Joanne Whalley

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kenny Ireland	...	Tony
Liam Neeson	...	Danny Scoular
Joanne Whalley	...	Beth Scoular (as Joanne Whalley-Kilmer)
Billy Connolly	...	Frankie
Johnny Beattie	...	Beth's Father (as John Beattie)
Amanda Walker	...	Beth's Mother
George Rossi	...	Eddie
Ian Bannen	...	Matt Mason
Pat Roach	...	Billy
Andrew Meaden	...	Wee Danny
Ashleigh Thomas	...	Young Kate
Joseph Greig	...	Willie
Sean Scanlan	...	Alan
Peter Mullan	...	Vince
James Copeland	...	Sam

Storyline

An unemployed Scottish miner (Liam Neeson) is forced into bare-knuckle boxing to make ends meet.

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Plot Keywords:

boxing | tough guy | bare chested male bondage | prizefight | gangster | 

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Taglines:

Nothing hits as hard as the things that are really worth fighting for...

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Sport

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 August 1990 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Big Man: Crossing the Line

Filming Locations:

Coalburn, Strathclyde, Scotland, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Palace Pictures, Miramax Films, British Satellite Broadcasting (BSB)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Billy Connolly says that whilst filming the sex scene with Beth Scoular (Joanne Whalley), the director urged him (and Joanne) to be more enthusiastic, vocal and vulgar. Billy said that he's not like that in real life. Just "mildly grateful" that he's having sex.

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Connections

Featured in Ultimate Fights from the Movies (2002)

User Reviews

In Agreement With Mr. Dundee's Review

I think Mr. Dundee's review is spot on. The bare knuckle fight is extremely brutal. It's not one of these ultra-choreographed fights seen in the vast majority of movies that contain fighting. Part of this has to do with the superior makeup job and camera angles. Also, the man who plays Neeson's opponent is a real bare knuckle fighter. He was originally brought on as a consultant, and then it was decided that he should play the character.

However this is NOT an action movie. It is a drama, and a pretty good one. I can't think of anything else to add. Mr. Dundee summed up everything.

If anyone would like to know more detailed info about this fight scene, then I suggest you rent Ultimate Fights Volume 2.