Still a classic and still a Sly Stallone gem

Rating: 9/10 (15 May 2016)

OK, so this one doesn't get mentioned a lot when you're listing Stallone movies out loud. Rocky, Rambo, Cobra are the ones who come to mind quick and true to the fact that they are all rightfully legendary in their own right. Any one familiar with Stallone from the 70's, 80's and 90's can mention those 3 right off the bat. I am a HUGE Stallone fan. I love the guy more than I love my biological father (don't even ask). So, when I ask guys who are familiar with him to name a few of his movies, Over the Top is never mentioned and that....really annoys me. Over the Top is not a film that was meant to win an Oscar, if you'll pardon the pun to Sly's comedy masterpiece, but it sure should have turned some heads. Think about it, it's 1986. Rocky and Rambo have happened. Schwarzenegger has had The Terminator and Commando out. They are Hollywood's Go-to Action stars at the moment. So when Stallone decides to do this little film, which he acknowledges that he only made because it was quite a lot of money offered to him and he knew the role nor the script were anything special, you gotta love his efforts here. If it hadnt been Stallone in this, I probably wouldn't cherish it as much as I do. The movie is an 80s hidden gem. Why? OK, take it for what it is, and what do you have? A touching story about an everyday trucker who wishes to win an arm wrestling competition to gain the trust and respect of his son. Is that not noble enough? Apparently not to most. The movie has a beautiful message that CAN still be translated to today, but people will discard it because of their dislike for Stallone. Personally, I agree that Stallone's acting is not for everyone but to me, it is like Sushi, meaning that it is not for everyone and some people hate it incredibly but does that mean it's terrible? NOPE. Not at all. It is just a matter of taste. Stallone has always had a way of inspiring you through his roles, making underdogs believably outnumbered and surprisingly heroic, if Rocky and Rambo are not prime examples of that, I don't know what is. Back to the movie, it displays pretty strong acting from the kid who plays Stallone's son. May I remind you that before this movie, the kid did a lot of voice work?? Not too bad a transition, as well as Robert Loggia who looks very sinister EVEN in playing a well respected and powerfully influencing figure who can even disrespect heads of a military prep academy without batting an eye. Thats about it for the acting portion, which Stallone carries beautifully as much as an 80s hot action star can. Then there's the score for this film. Personally, I think it is wonderful. As a kid, I fell in love with "Winner takes it All'' and ''Meet me Halfway'' just because they sounded cool, cant say the same for the other tracks their respective singers put out but these ones were nice. Giorgio Moroder, whom a lot of us PACINO fans know, produced most of the Scarface film score. Now, this one doesn't have the bouncy and hacky Disco feel that Scarface did, rather than it holds a combo of power rock and synth laden riffs to make it sound like either a video game or a legitimate sports competition being broadcast. It fits very nicely though, considering the premise of the movie. To me, Over the Top is a childhood memory that I will always treasure. Watching it on DVD now, still gives me nostalgia and like I said, had it been another person playing Lincoln Hawk, I wouldn't have seen it twice. Sylvester Stallone is just such a unique and talented individual, that only he can give a character the toughness and vulnerability at the same time that he needs to make a movie inspirational and he continues to prove it EVEN after all these years, as he wins the Golden Globe for Rocky Balboa in a terrific movie called Creed, so if you cant value his talent and ability, then you just hate the guy out of sheer petulance. If you expected this to be Ben Hur or something, then you really don't know anything about cinema and only watch mainstream movies that mostly don't mean anything. Over the Top will always be a good little movie to watch, even if you're not a fan of the sport or the actor.