I just love caper movies. Whether it's the gang of cool criminal trying to pull off one last heist or the lone cop trying to outsmart the scheming thieves, there's something about a good caper that's as enticing as diamond cocks are to Bella.
Midnight Sting appeared in the UK in 1993, following it's dismal showing in the USA under the title Diggstown (the fictional town in which the story takes place).As as the title suggests it's a movie about con men. In this case James Woods plays a recently released from jail con man, who teams up with buddies Louis Gossett Jnr and Oliver Platt to to take the boxing obsessed Diggstown for all that it's worth. Woods bets slimy town owner, Bruce Dern, that Lou Gossett can win 10boxes matches against any 10 Diggstown residents, within just one day.
The film takes it's time to set up the larger than life characters as well as anticipation for the big fight day. But, as with all caper movies, the entertainment comes from seeing whether our heroes can pull off their ambitious scam against a villain who just might be more intelligent, more cunning and more downright dirty than they are.
Although the film has zero visual flair, director Michael (The Golden Child) Richie gives it a beautifully balanced tone, somewhere between drama and comedy, which means by the final bout, you'll be cheering Old Lou to win. And besides, when Woods is at his arrogant, sweary, charming best...how could you not want to see this mini classic.
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