Winners Take All

1987, Movie, PG-13, 105 mins

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Finding personal salvation through sporting events is by now a well-worn theme in the post-"Rocky" movie world. Though WINNERS TAKE ALL starts off as an interesting character study, it fails to deliver on its initial promise, eventually capitulating to formulaic development. "Bad" Billy Robinson (Robert Krantz) is a top motorcycle racer with a corporate-sponsored team. Frank (Paul Hampton), the team's devious manager, takes his boys on a tour of rural America that brings Billy back to the small town where he grew up. There he is reunited with Rick (Don Michael Paul), his best friend and constant rival ever since grammar school. Old jealousies emerge, and Rick decides to challenge Billy in motocross racing. Unlike other films of this nature, the characters here are well developed. When director Fritz Kiersch sticks to depictions of small-town life or friendship, WINNERS TAKE ALL is fairly engaging. The look and ambience are completely accurate, displaying an insider's understanding of this world. Unfortunately, these elements are largely subordinated to genre cliches or countless shots of motorcycles raising dirt. Once Kiersch gets past introducing us to his characters' milieu, he goes right for the obvious, reducing the film to another simple-minded sports drama. leave a comment
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Winners Take All
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