The Last Champion

Disgraced former wrestling champ John Wright (Cole Hauser) returns to his hometown. He's an outcast among the town folks. He's back to sell the family home after the death of his mother. Michael Miller is the struggling student wrestler. His mother is a drunk and they are too poor to buy meat. He's caught stealing from the grocery store. When the supportive wrestling coach Frank Stevens dies, John is hired as the new coach.

This filled with emotional melodrama. I would prefer less on-the-nose melodrama. The villains are over-the-top villains. I do appreciate Cole Hauser trying to underplay his performance. It's probably the only way to do his acting in this case. It's good that his personal flaw isn't explained away or passed on to the bad guy. I was half-expecting that the villain had somehow forced John to take the steroids. At its core, this is a very simple story of redemption. Its simplicity is a great strength but it may have contributed to some simplification of the villain characters.

I'm a big fan of films like The Karate Kid and Rudy. I love a good sports movie and Cole Hauser is becoming one of the greats. This is a deeply felt sports drama without the schmaltz that often accompanies films like this. Every performance was authentic the wrestling action was very realistic and I had an easy time following it though I am not too familiar with the sport.

Filmed in Big Sky country, this is a beautiful tale. Cole Hauser, who has skyrocketed to fame with his work in Yellowstone, delivers a wonderful performance. Also, the great Dan Gable makes a cameo at the end of the film. He would never have been involved with this, if he didn't believe it would not represent amateur wrestling well.

My husband chose this one because he loves sports movies, but I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed it. One of the best movies I've seen in years. Excellent drama, and a great overall redemption story. The lead actor who plays the John Wright character gives a heartbreaking performance, he had me in tears at a few parts, and the child actor who plays Michael was terrific. It's a story about a man who makes a mistake in his past, and has the opportunity for a second chance, but he has to first find a way to forgive himself. And the final wrestling match had us on the edge of our seats, and I'm not even a sports person! It gave me chills! Anyway, this is such a great movie I felt like I had to give it a review, because you will love this movie even if you're not a sports person. It's just a very good story, and the kind of movie that they just don't make anymore. I have a feeling this will be on our Christmas watch list every year. Give it a chance, you won't be sorry.

The acting was on point. But the story.... See Hoosiers....