Over the Top - Le bras de fer

I grew up on this movie. This is the first movie I ever recall watching. My grandpa has his own Tractor-Trailer and I always went with him on road trips, so I instantly fell in love with this movie when I saw the truck. Even though it's an old, beaten up, disgusting truck, I would have to say it looks pretty sweet. Lincoln Hawk, played by Sylvester Stallone, is a independent trucker just trying to put his life back together. He realized he made mistakes, and tries to reconcile with his son that he abandoned years earlier. When the boy's grandfather offers Hawk the offer of a life time, and Hawk refuses....it's very clear to him, that he has no other choice but to win, and the determination really shows. Sly acts a bit uninterested in this movie...you can see it in his eyes. Every now and then you can catch his wandering off and not paying attention. If you watch closely, some of the extras often keep there eyes on the camera, and Sly will look at them. Pretty good movie, could have been better, but it's a for sure movie to watch.

Some LOVE this movie. I do. I LOVE the soundtrack. You'll see a million posts from "critics" on here who will look down their nose at this flick. Do you like a movie? WATCH IT! Forget what these morons say about bad cinematography, etc. Movie-makers create films for one reason -- viewers' pleasure (which brings money). Great 80's movie. Period.

Good choice of work for Sly - a trucker. Something 'masculine', on the move. He wrangles with his father-in-law for custody of his son, who thought his dad (Sly) disowned him. To the contrary, grandfather didn't want the boy associating with Sly because he was'nt 'of money' like grandfather was. When Sly's former wife dies of cancer, (Susan Blakely again), Sly sees it as a 'sign' to take his responsibility seriously & raise his son the only way he knows how - take him on the road with him, teach him not to be a spoiled brat all his life, live a little! At first, his son rejects him totally. But later on when he finds out the truth about his dad, he decides he WANTS to be with him.

Yes, the veritable 'macho-sport of arm-wrestling' is thrown in as a way to win big money quick & show-off Sly's ever-bulging muscles. But hey! What's a Sly-film without muscles?? See this one for family entertainment. Sly might be a bit 'wooden' with some of his lines, but the action scenes are typically Sly!

Over the Top is pure Sylvester Stallone: the blue collar man with the heart of gold fighting his way through a world that dismisses him as a loser but he wins at the end with the help of someone who really understands and loves him. Same as the Rocky series, same as the Rambo series.

But I can't help it, I really like Sly. He certainly is no Shakespeare actor but there is that deep honesty he represents in all his flicks and it works. When he first walks into that military school building to fetch his son after cleaning his truck and trying to make himself look his "Sunday best" - I can't help it: it is just great.

Yes it is strange to see a well educated kid (by a military school) being transformed into a "regular guy" by his own father. But in this film that is only a metaphor. The real meaning is: it's the heart that counts, not the social position. Now that's a message which can't be dismissed as junk that easily.

I love the portraits and short interviews of the arm wrestling contestants. Brilliant.

Probably the best scene is when the (always wonderful) Robert Loggia finally accepts the fact that his grandson loves his dad. The "villain" hasn't been beaten. No even better: he has been convinced and transformed.

Over the Top works on two levels: as popcorn entertainment: "Blue collar hero beats the odds" and as good old fashioned, almost Frank Capra- like cinema: "good will always win in the end".

Bottom line: as with many a Sly flick (any film Sylvester Stallone agrees to participate in or where he actually did the writing, directing etc.)we have to work our way through a popcorn flick to find a deeper meaning. And I say it is there in Over the Top hitting it dead center.

So I'm a Sylvester Stallone fan. Now call me names, I can take it.

This movie really touched base with me. I grew up not knowing my father, so I really felt for "Michael Cutler", played by David Mendenhall. This was the first thing I remembered seeing David in and I became a big fan of his thru this movie. I identified with his character so much.

If only there would have been a sequel to this movie. (+: