Jeff Hansman With an excellent script by Rod Serling and supporting roles by solid, veteran actors, this film never misses a beat. Both Mickey Rooney and Jackie Gleason turn in great performances in support of Anthony Quinn, who apparently fit this movie in while "Lawrence of Arabia" was on hiatus. I've seen just about everything that Quinn has done (including his also excellent stint in 1943's "The Oxbow Incident") and none of it, IMO, compares with his performance in "Requiem." The pure pathos of his character's desperate desire for that one last bout to show he still has it is just heart-wrenching. Again, Quinn's scenes with Julie Harris are equally touching, a perfect counter to the boxing tale. While Quinn is best known for blockbusters like "Lawrence" and "Zorba," I felt that for this role he went down deep to find his Mountain Rivera and gave it everything he had. Boxing films are never easy to watch, with all the brutality and bloodletting that ensues. But know this film is about much, much more, and it deserves your attention whether you are a fight fan or not.

connorbbalboa Outside of the Rocky films and Raging Bull, I will admit that I have not seen many boxing films; they end up being the most popular examples to the extent that I almost completely forget about all the others. Requiem for A Heavyweight was one that was recommended to me and one that I finally got myself to watch. I did like it, but not enough to reach the same levels of greatness of those other films.The film starts with a blurred and slightly disorienting POV shot of 37-year-old boxer "Mountain" Rivera (Anthony Quinn) as he is beaten badly in his latest match by the real Muhammad Ali (back when he was still called Cassius Clay). After the match, he is told that he will go blind if he fights again and should retire. Meanwhile, his manager (Jackie Gleason from Smokey and the Bandit) is in trouble with the mob for making a faulty bet against Rivera and tries to get him to take up phony wrestling to make money. However, Rivera becomes attracted to an employment agency worker named Grace Miller (Julie Harris) who sees the kindness and desperation in him and tries to get him a summer camp job.Anthony Quinn gives the best performance in the film and convinces you that he is a punch-drunk has-been who wants to stay relevant. Gleason is also convincing, taking the opportunity to be as despicable as possible. The black-and-white cinematography helps to make the street settings suitably unpleasant, letting you that this is not a hopeful film. Also, it's a common, but enduring story of a has-been trying to rescue himself from the oblivion of nothingness.There are, however, two major problems I find with this film that tie into each other. The first is that the film is too short. Things like Grace stepping away from Rivera's life after failing to help him and the relationship between Rivera and his manager feel rushed and it feels like this film needed more material to completely get its points through. It would have also helped establish the relationship between Rivera and his manager better. Rivera says that his manager treated him well and was there for him whenever he was badly beaten in his fights, but we don't even see flashbacks to any of those moments, only scenes where his manager tries to sign him up for the phony wrestling, claiming that he's trying to do what's best for Rivera when his real goal is getting the money for the mob. Seeing more of the relationship would have also helped with the climax.In the end, Rivera signs up for the phony wrestling, tries to quit at the last minute, finds out that his manager bet against him in the fight with Ali/Clay, and decides to do the wrestling and make a disgrace of himself anyway after the mob shows up. My first problem with the ending is that Rivera would still wrestle to save his manager even after he had just found out how much his manager had betrayed him. Secondly, it runs the risk of sending the wrong message, that punch-drunk has-been boxers like Rivera who try to make something of their lives afterwards will always end up in dishonor and emotional pain. It is incredibly harsh, even for the type of film this is. It reminds me of what Sylvester Stallone said about changing the ending of the First Blood movie and how the original ending where (spoiler) Rambo kills himself would negatively affect Vietnam veterans. The teleplay that the film is based on had Rivera quit the wrestling and return to his hometown. There, it gives Rivera a second chance and plenty of opportunity to do something with the last years of his life. Why the ending was changed for the film, I don't know.In conclusion, I don't dislike this film; it just seems to go in the wrong direction by the time it ends (for me, at least). There are plenty of good things to say about it, like Rivera's and Gleason's performances. I just think that a longer runtime would have made it better.

JasparLamarCrabb Ralph Nelson's hard hitting adaptation of Rod Serling's teleplay features a grotesque performance by Anthony Quinn as a punched drunk boxer struggling to come to terms with the fact that his career is over. He's helped (in vain) by employment placement specialist Julie Harris and stymied by shifty manager Jackie Gleason. The film is all about the acting and it's top notch. Quinn, who at times is a bit inaudible, carries the film and is in virtually every scene. Harris is terrific in an unlikely role and Gleason is very potent as a degenerate gambler facing mounting financial woes. The stunning B&W cinematography is by Arthur J Ornitz and there's a dynamite score by Laurence Rosenthal. Mickey Rooney, Stanley Adams and Madame Spivy (as "Ma") co-star.

capone666 Requiem for a Heavyweight You can tell a boxer is over-the-hill when they come to the ring wearing their bathrobe.After getting knocked out by Cassius Clay, "Mountain" Rivera (Anthony Quinn) hangs up his gloves in hopes of landing a less violent gig.But when his manager's (Jackie Gleason) life is threatened by a bookie, Mountain must put his aspirations on hold, swallow his pride, and enter the wrestling ring.Despite his embarrassment in the theatrics of the sport, Mountain agrees to the match-up, much to the chagrin of his career counselor/ love interest (Julie Harris).Based on the teleplay by Twilight Zone's Rod Serling, this film adaptation of the scribe's sci-fi free script is altered for cinematic purposes, but the pathos of an archaic contender is still present, and is pure Rod Serling.The worst thing about being a retired boxer is that with your slurred speech everyone keeps enrolling you in A.A.Green Light vidiotreviews.blogspot.ca