La taverne de l'enfer

... and maybe pick up an award or two. This movie is very well-done on every level, and LOT of fun to watch. Stallone's characterization of a lazy goofball who wants everybody else to bust their butts to make his dreams come true for him is just brilliant, possibly his very best performance. Actually, there's not a single bad performance in this whole movie and that's saying a lot, considering that some of the major roles were filled by guys who were professional boxers or wrestlers. In addition, the sets/costumes/lighting give a very good sense of place and time -- only the hairdos on the female leads tip you off that this was made in the late '70s.

Stallone made this film between "Rocky" and "Rocky II" and it shares alot of similarities with those films. It's the story of three brothers who dream of busting out of the poverty of Hell's Kitchen in New York during the mid-1940's.

Sly plays Cosmo Carboni, the street-wise hustler with no visible means of support but a head full of get-rich-quick schemes who hatches a plan to promote his brutish but gentle-natured brother (who's job is hauling giant blocks of ice all over the city) as a professional wrestler. Armand Assante plays his other brother, a cynical war veteran who was wounded in combat and now works as a mortician.

The story is peppered with colorful Damon Runyon-esque characters and a nicely balanced combination of humor and drama. Stallone writes and directs well, getting good performances from all his actors, and the film has a rich flavor and feeling for the period.

One of Stallone's least-known and least appreciated films, but it's well worth seeking out. Nicely done and entertaining.

I bought this from HMV on Monday, because I wanted to check out this early Sly Stallone movie, and I've got to say that he made a sterling job of it, both behind and in front of the camera. The story (also by Stallone) borrows a little off ROCKY, but is nonetheless entertaining. Three brothers dream of escaping from the dreary Hell's Kitchen of the 1940s, so one of the guys, Cosmo (Stallone) persuades the youngest bro (Lee Canalito), a big, musclebound labourer, to take part in a wrestling competition in the hope that they will become rich. However, things are never as easy as they seem, as the brothers set out to discover. Critics have said in the past that Sly could never do comedy, but in PA, he has some funny one-liners and he displays wit, warmth and charisma as conman-with-a-heart Cosmo. Note the dramatic change in his character as the movie progresses. The supporting cast is strong, including Armand Assante as the oldest brother who too undergoes a change in character and Frank McRae as an over-the-hill wrestler. There is one nice directorial touch during the film where Cosmo looks through the window of a girl he's been chasing and sees his brother's walking stick next to her bare feet. The wrestling sequences are well handled, as well, with plenty of blood and pounding flesh. I reckon this movie influenced countless 80s B-movie fare such as A.W.O.L. and THE CAGE, but this is the real deal, as it's better acted and pretty realistic. I'd say this was one of Sly's best, alongside FIRST BLOOD and NIGHTHAWKS.

If this film had been spoken in Italian and dubbed in English (like all Italian movies of the seventies) it would have scooped all of the European arthouse awards. It is an excellent film that I have watched many times, and one which always reminds me to respect Stallone as a serious and talented writer/director. This film is very funny and very engaging and can hold it's own with classics of the time such as Lina Wertmuller's "Seven Beauties" or Lasse Hallstrom's "My Life As A Dog". It's a shame that Stallone has never equalled this work. First Blood had much to recommend it and can even stand a little analysis as a metaphor for the American Post-Vietnam psyche. Cliffhanger is pure 'leave-your brain-at-the-door' entertainment and Stallone is perfect in the part but he has done nothing (including Copland) that approaches the sheer art of Paradise Alley. I give it nine out of ten

I have to admit that this film to many critics was a turgid mess, but I cannot help but enjoy and have true sentimentality for it. You have to watch Paradise Alley when you are in the right kind of mood. What mood is that? The mood I was in when I saw it on TV years ago.

It's got heart, good wrestling, believable characters, funny moments, a couple of hot babes, suspense and a bit of violence. It even has a good "Rocky" feel ending that wins your heart ending with a strong ballad. This is entertainment and who cares if it doesn't live up to any purists idea of good film-making. It's fun. If this movie were to be redone it might have a chance at the Oscars. It's quirky and offbeat and contains all the elements to get your moneys worth.