Grunt - Confronto Mortal

I'm surprised that I never heard of this movie before. Even though it's about wrestling, you don't need to like or even know anything about wrestling to enjoy it. There are a few things that don't make sense though. Georgia Wrestling having all it's title matches in California. The commissioner saying there will be 10 guys in the battle royale(and posters saying the same), then there were 12 guys in it. And being able to pin guys in a battle royale, not to mention the guy who goes under the bottom rope and is out. But those little details don't hurt the over all movie.

Its 1979 "Mad Dog" Joe Decurso accidentally decapitates his opponent in a championship match. After the match "Mad Dog" goes into hiding (many rumours say he killed himself by jumping off the golden gate bridge.) Years later the decapitation controversy comes up again and wrestling fans and promoters want a new champion. In comes "The Mask" a wrestler who's wrestling style is very similar to what mad dog use to wrestle like. Join documentary film maker Leslie Uhgums and the president of the "Mad Dog" Joe Decurso fan club as they follow "The Mask" and try to figure out, is Joe the mask? or is the mask, Joe?

Great, Great Comedy featuring many all time great wrestlers and the legendary Wally George.

Mockumentary style 'B' comedy, that follows the world of regional Pro-Wrestling, as a reporter searches for a lost wrestler under the guise of 'The Mask'.

It's slap stick at times and set up to let you think wrestling is real (for the sake of the story), while making it entertaining.

If your a wrestling fan, view this as a tongue in cheek film made for non wrestling fans. If your a non-wrestling fan, this is made for the basic entertainment values of the time with no intention of converting you.

I'm a wrestling fan, it's a not so guilty pleasure and I've always found it sad that wrestling hasn't been the theme of more movies over the years. I think the two go together really well and I think I was one of the half dozen people on the planet who actually enjoyed Ready To Rumble (2000).

Grunt is filmed like a documentary, it tells the story of a man making a film about a mysterious wrestler who fell off the face of the earth many years before. A new wrestler on the scene wearing a mask has a lot of similarities, are they one and the same?

The whole film is SO 80's and filled me with nostalgia. From the great soundtrack to the vhs appearance and the old school wrestling action!

Though not the best constructed (Or written) there is fun to be had here but I think it will only be appreciated by actual wrestling fans, the novelty will likely be lost on everyone else.

If you grew up with the spectacle of small town wrestling this might really appeal to you.

Though advertised as a comedy the laughs are few and far between, and when the laughs do occur they lack consistency. The film keeps a straight face then suddenly veers into Airplane (1980) territory.

There is fun to be had, but if you don't like grappling action you may not find it.

The Good:

Great soundtrack

Has some fun moments

The Bad:

Writing is patchy

Where is the comedy?

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Title reigns should not end due to decapitation

What happened was both horrifying and shocking

Wrestling needs more booby distractions!

People born on leap years only get birthdays once every 4 years

In this bizzare parallel universe folks who sport the confederate flag cheer minorities

This film is shot as a pseudo-documentary about a wrestler who disappears after killing an opponent. If you are a big fan of pro wrestling, then I think you will get a kick out of this film. If you are not a big fan, you still might find this amusing, but it is mostly meant for the die-hard fans. I dig B-movies, so I bought this one. I recommend it.