Review of Over The Top

Introduction

When I was teenager, the world was a simple black and white place. Everything fell into two categories, cool and uncool, a divisiveness that seems petty now considering the subject matters. Battle lines were drawn between Sega and Nintendo, Sinclair and Commodore, Spandau and Duran. We all knew we were right, and everyone else was wrong. When it came to action movies, it was a simple decision between Schwarzenegger and Stallone. Of course I knew I was right, and I opted for muscles and wisecracks, over a modicum of acting talent every time. As a result, much of Sylvester Stallone`s early oeuvre passed me by. Not that I would have chosen to watch Over The Top anyway, I was a self-respecting teen, and the story of a trucking arm wrestler just didn`t ring any of my bells. Some of that snobbery must have still remained, because when Over The Top finally fell on my doormat for review, seeing that the story added a broken family to the arm wrestling mayhem, it went straight to the bottom of my to watch pile. Unfortunately it was a small pile…

It`s the end of a school term, and cadet Michael Cutler is looking forward to returning home so he can be with his ailing mother. However at his mother`s urging, estranged father Lincoln Hawk comes to pick him up, intending to drive across county in his truck in an attempt to bond with his son. Michael is initially reluctant, but as the journey continues he finds that his father isn`t the layabout loser that he`s been told. Hawk has a plan to make some money at the World Arm Wrestling championships in Las Vegas, so he can start his own freight company and support his son. However there is a spanner in the works, as Michael`s grandfather Jason Cutler will stop at nothing to retain custody of his grandson.

Video

MGM have given Over The Top a 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer, though they needn`t have bothered. This is one of the worst transfers I have seen in quite a while. Presented on a single layer disc, the picture suffers from incessant grain and artefacts throughout. The image resolution is wholly inadequate. There`s moiré, any straight line shimmers with an intensity that borders on the nauseating, and jaggies appear too often for my liking. The additional print damage is hardly worth mentioning. Given the cinematography of some scenes, this film is utterly wasted on this disc.

Audio

The sound is quite adequate for the film. A selection of DD 2.0 tracks in the European friendly English, German, French and Spanish are accompanied by copious subtitles. The dialogue is clear enough, and there is a fine selection of eighties pop classics that complement this film. No movie of the period would be complete without a contribution from Kenny Loggins and sure enough he is here along with Frank Stallone among others.

Features

MGM have gone to town with the extras. Yup, they`ve gone to town and left the disc absolutely blank. They have plumbed new depths of expediency in releasing this disc and I wish I could give negative marks. Most MGM back catalogue titles come with a trailer if nothing else. Over The Top lacks even that. There are 16 chapters in this film, but forget about selecting them as there is no screen to let you choose. The menu consists of three stills from the film and four obscure icons. You can play the film, choose from the languages, choose from the subtitles, or go back up a level to choose which country you are in. Your guess is as good as mine, as to which icon is which.

Conclusion

I came to Over The Top with wholly negative expectations, I even sat down with a novel by my side just in case, which is something I never do. The first fifteen minutes of the film did nothing to dispel those expectations; indeed trying to watch the film through the dire transfer was beginning to feel too much of an effort. But I find myself in the embarrassing position of becoming a cliché. Yes, I put my hand up and admit it; despite everything I enjoyed this film.

It`s an archetypal eighties movie, with an implausible story, and schmaltzy script, plenty of musical interludes and just a little to tug the old heartstrings. Sylvester Stallone does what we know him best for, the underdog movie. This is Rocky but with Arm Wrestling. It`s a film that quite blatantly and consciously sets out to manipulate the audiences` emotions. It`s quite obvious from the first moment, as a son reluctantly joins his estranged father to visit his ailing mother. Prepare for some father son bonding as we work through the feelings of hate, betrayal, and reconciliation and eventually love, all crammed into 90 minutes. Of course the father has to earn his son`s love, this time by competing in the world Arm Wrestling Championships. Watching this film, it quickly dawned on me exactly what the journey would be and exactly how my emotions would be influenced, but knowledge serves as no immunity, and just as with the Rocky films, I was there at the end, as Hawk grappled with an arm wrestler four times his size, perched on the edge of my seat yelling "Yes! Go on my son!!" at the TV.

Yes the story is horribly contrived, and implausible verging on sheer silliness, but the actors serve to carry it off with style. Stallone is dependable as the ingeniously named Lincoln Hawk, and he works well with child actor David Mendenhall as his son Michael, who is excellent in the role. There`s a genuine chemistry between the two that lifts this film over the merely watchable. Robert Loggia is good as the grandfather, Jason whose animosity for Hawk conflicts with his love for his grandson.

Over The Top a perfect comfort film. You can watch it with your brain in idle, knowing full well in advance what you are getting. The silly story is superfluous when it comes to that little glow that you get when the end credits start. Unfortunately, this isn`t the disc to watch it on. An anorexic disc with a positively hideous transfer makes me recommend that you find this film on video if you can.