A beautiful film noir made by Jules Dassin and starring Richard Widmark and Gene Tierney. It is also an oddity in that it was filmed in London and the plot circles Harry Fabian's (Widmark's) pathetic attempt to re-tool himself as a wrestling promoter by championing pure Greco-Roman style wrestling over a new and more popular flashier style. And, yes, there are wrestling scenes, including a doozy between the great Mike Mazurki and Stanislaus Zbyszko, one of the sweatiest fleshiest fights I've ever seen put on film. Widmark is amazing as Fabian, who never really had a chance, and then there's a parallel storyline with Googie Withers trying to open her own private club in London. She's particularly heartbreaking in a film filled with dead-end losers.
Oh, man I am so glad you watched this. I love this movie so much.
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