Can you top this!

Rating: 7/10 (22 January 2011)

***SPOILERS*** Another one of the many Sylvestor Stallone meek common and simple man winning against astronomical odds like films that he made in the 1970's and 1980's has Sly playing soft spoken and inoffensive looking, until you try to mess with him, trucker Lincoln Hawk. Hawk has been summoned by his dying, from a serious heart operation, ex-wife Christina, Susan Blakley, who wants him to reunite with the couples 12 year old son Michael,David Mendenhall, whom he hasn't seen since birth! Of course Michael who's attending military school wants nothing to do with his dad feeling that he deserted him and his mom because his control freak Grandpa Jason "Cut-throat" Cutler, Robert Loggia, has been feeding him all kinds of crap about his dad for as long as he could remember.
It doesn't take long for Hawk to win little Michael over in his revealing to him, when he's challenged by some muscle bound dude at a local truck stop, his secret life as a big time arm wrestling champ. That together with teaching Michael to drive his 18 wheeler, without a license, down the highway had the boy finally look up to his absentee, for some 12 years, poppa as the man he'd like to be when he grows up! This all turns sour when finally getting to the hospital to see mom Michael finds out that she passed away without him being able to say a final good-by to her! Holding his pop responsible for being too late, by driving to the hospital with his dump truck not flying there with Grandpa, to see his mom alive he suddenly doesn't want to have anything to do with him.
The movie takes another turn for the worst for Hawk when in desperation to see Michael he power drives his rig straight into Grandpa Jason's mansion totally demolishing the place. Gramps declines to press charges against Hawk only if he gets out of both his and Michael's lives which Hawk, in avoiding the slammer, grudging agrees to. Now really on the outs with Michael the only thing left for Hawk to do is win the world champion arm wrestling contest at Las Vegas. That's where the down and out Hawk can finally prove to himself Michael and the world, as well as Grandpa Jason, that he's not the loser in life that everyone says he is. There's also the fact that Michael later finds hundreds of letters, including Christmas birthday and get well cards, from his pop that he sent him over the years that Grandapa hide from him! That proves to Michael that Poppa Hawk was indeed the sweet and caring person that he always told him he was! It also proved that Grandpa Jason wasn't that bright by leaving the letters out in the open, and not burning them, for his grandson Michael to find.
****SPOILERS**** The big final has lots of grunting and grinding among the sweating arm wrestling contestants at the Las Vegas Convention Hall with Hawk, sprained arm and all, taking on all comers as he works his way up to the #1 match with world arm wrestling champ, for five years straight, the 6 foot 4 inch 350 pound Bob "Bull" Hurley played by actual arm wrestling champion Rick Zumwalt. It's then that Michael, who ran away from home, shows up at the tournament together with Grandpa Jason, who's trying to get him back home, which turns out to be the turning point in this earth shattering and arm breaking arm wrestling match! That's by his son Michael giving Hawk the push that he needed to get it "Over the Top" and finally, after all the grunts groans and broken fingers & bones, winning the damn contest!