F.I.S.T

This is one of Stallone's best performances as an actor! In all the following movies in the 80's and 90's he is more appreciated for his 'presence' and strength as a person, but in this one he portrays a lifestory of a union worker that rose to greatest fame. Don't lose heart if you feel bored in the beginning of the movie, it gets better and in the second half, when many years have past, it gets really good. It is a grand movie-story and definitely a recommendation for anyone who likes movies about the fate of others.

This is an unappreciated film, mostly because it's star doesn't exactly have a good reputation as an 'actor'. This film is definately worth catching and it is worthy of repeated viewings. The music too is perfect for the film. It charts the rise of a Union leader from his humble beginnings to his fame. The story sustains the attention of the viewer throughout the picture. Stallone is better in the earlier scenes as a young Johny Kovak. His acting limitations come about as we see him as an older man. All he does his makes his voice a little husky and the make up on him (and other members of the cast) is ineffective. Early in his career, kovak has the dilema of bringing in the mob for help after an unsuccessful strike which results in one of his best men being killed. If he brings them in, he can enforce his will on the big companies and make the union very strong. Without them, he has little chance of the union growing. To the dismay of his best friend, he takes them in. His decision comes back to haunt him. Stallone tailored the script so he can play the good guy, originally Kovak wasn't a nice man. There is a nice scene with him and Brian Dehenny who later would turn up as Rambo's nemesis in first blood. I would certainly recommend fans and non fans of Stallone to catch this movie.

This film is done on a very low budget, and its a great film. Some times, low budget film compensate with good acting. The script, probably has some real life experiences in it, with a few of the scenes, especialy with the apple boxes, and the double cross part in the film. After watching this film, I thought this film is great, and I am happy I spent my time watching a true gem.

This is a real hidden gem of a film. Thought provoking, intelligent and times indignant, without resorting to sentimentality.

Contrast this,with the commercially lucrative but artistically meaningless "Crash, Bang, Wallop" movies that Stallone became synonymous with in the 1980s.

Stallone can act when he wants to, and FIST amply demonstrates this wasted potential.

Based (very loosely) on the life of the Teamsters boss, Jimmy Hoffa, FIST charts the rise and fall of a Trade Union leader. A cautionary tale of how noble causes can be sullied by ambition and hubris.

I highly recommend it, if only to convince others that Stallone occasionally turned in a credible performance without the promise of a big pay day.

You cannot judge Stallone's acting career without seeing this movie. The movie was made during the height of Rocky-mania, and I don't recall it getting much attention on its first run.

Sly plays a blue-collar grunt at the pre-dawn of the organized labor movement in the US. I think the film does a commendable job showing the audience what conditions were like before the work force was unionized. Indeed it depicts what what drove workers to form the original labor unions. Federated Inter-State Truckers or FIST is the union that Stallone's character reluctantly helps organize and lead through the early dark years of violent strikes and lockouts to the later years of labor successes breading union corruption.

I am not a fan of the Rocky series, but did enjoy First Blood 1. I found FIST to be the best film of his career.