This vinegar went bad....

Rating: 6/10 (30 January 2014)

Henry "Razor" Sharp and Billy "The Kid" McDonnen are boxers who were bitter rivals. Just before a big fight Razor decided to retire because Billy slept with his girlfriend, Sally Rose and got her pregnant.
Thirty years later a promoter wants them fight each other, but Razor doesn't. When he loses his job and learns he's broke, he has no other choice but to fight.....
Its strange that Stallone has taken the lowest ebb in his career, and melded the two together. Stallone's plight in this, mirrors Rocky V's narrative, and then the element of comedy, to his proper fans of a certain age, Oscar and Stop! Or My Mom will Shoot, do not seem that long ago.
So I went in with great caution. And while Stallone will never suit comedy (one liners in action movies don't count) De Niro makes the whole thing worth watching, and it's always good to see Stallone in the ring once more.
Its a simple story, again, the video game part that inspires the titular fight is ripped straight from Rocky Balboa, but its exactly what you'd expect.
Age is a huge factor in this, and weight problems and other ageing problems are the butt of the majority of the jokes. The stars get into promotional problems, which usually ends up with them fighting each other or someone else.
So it's not original by any means, Basinger is wasted in this, Hart grates every time he speaks, channelling every annoying stand up comedian who thought shouting would raise more laughs.
Arkin is predictably the best thing as the 'Micky' type trainer, but, their is a decent twist in the movie, and the CGI at the beginning is pretty good.
If you flinched at the idea of this film you probably won't like it, but if you yearned for Rocky Vs. Jake La Motta, this will suffice.