What if Rocky Balboa and Jake LaMotta fought one another?
'Grudge Match' was clearly conceived as an answer to that very question, but it's been forty years since either screen icon was in prime condition and audiences the world over are really wondering if it's too-little too-late for the onscreen boxing match-up of the century. Sylvester Stallone plays Henry 'Razor' Sharp with Robert DeNiro stepping up as his rival Billy 'The Kid' McDonnen.
The two boxers enjoyed a heated professional rivalry in their younger days but before their final and much anticipated fight Razor unexpectedly quit the sport, robbing the world of this assuredly glorious match-up. Now, some thirty years later, a young fight promoter named Dante Slate Jr. (Kevin Hart) tries to get the two to come out of retirement in order to answer that elusive question of who really was better?
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'Grudge Match' was clearly written exclusively for Stallone and DeNiro and whilst there is a certain excitement to seeing these two Hollywood veterans going toe to toe, the script is too thin to justify the finished film. Both actors do their best with what they are given but unfortunately, 'Grudge Match' often overplays its rather sub-par comedy material. Perhaps even more saddening is the fact that the plot itself shares several similarities with Stallone’s rather brilliant Rocky swan song 'Rocky Balboa' which graced our screens a mere eight years ago.
By the time proceedings arrive at the inevitable climatic bout between Stallone and DeNiro, the audience is rewarded with a rather entertaining final match-up. However no amount of cheering and punching can really make up for the rest of the film. In the end, 'Grudge Match' is a disappointing film only worth the price of admission if you have an interest in seeing Stallone and DeNiro fight each other onscreen, and even then, it's probably best that you wait for DVD.
★★
