Opposite Corners

Riddled equally with bullets and gangster-movie cliches, this brawling action picture blends elements of THE GODFATHER (1972) and GOLDEN BOY (1939), using prizefighting to symbolize the psychological struggle of a teenager fighting off his father's violent heritage. Having botched his own shot at Olympic boxing glory with a misdemeanor arrest in his youth, low-level Mafioso Augie Donatello (Anthony John Denison) forces his sensitive son, Bryant (Billy Warlock), to follow in his sparring footsteps. For Augie, violence is always the answer, whether it's in the ring, on the mean streets or at home, where he beats up his alcoholic wife, Kathy (Cathy Moriarty), who's torm...