Split Decisions

On February 18th of 2025, the mighty actor Gene Hackman passed away. I have a tradition to pay tribute to a deceased cinema deity by watching/reviewing one or two of their lesser known (but hopefully worthwhile) movies. For Gene Hackman, however, I want to expand the tribute. He was such an indescribably brilliant and versatile actor. Since he's listed in my top 5 of greatest performers of ALL times, he deserves a full month of homage. Rest in peace, Mr. Hackman, and thanks for the many great movies.

Speaking of lesser known, this might be Hackman's most obscure effort. Together with one or two other titles on his resume, it was the only title I never heard of before. Understandably so, because "Split Decisions" is a mundane and unremarkable sports drama/thriller, and Gene Hackman is obviously TOO good in comparison with the script, the production values, and the rest of the cast. He stars as the old-fashioned and stubborn Irish coach in New York, and father of two multi-talented boxers. He has a difficult relationship with the oldest, Ray, because he chose for professional boxing and does fights for dubious promotors. He focuses on his youngest son Eddie instead, because he combines boxing with studying and aims to partake in the Olympics. When Ray is put under pressure to lose a prestigious fight, he refuses and gets murdered. Eddie wants to take over the fight against the notorious Latino boxer Pedroza, but then he needs his father's coaching help.

"Split Decisions" is hopelessly clichéd, predictable, ineffectively sentimental, and quite frankly rather boring. Everything looks cheap and rushed, especially the editing and the available filming locations, and there isn't a single story "twist" you can't predict. There are several known names in the cast (Jennifer Beals, Craig Sheffer, James Tolkan, Jeff Fahay, ...) but they all stand in the shadow of Gene Hackman (and he's not even giving his best).

I can't remember if I saw this Movie at the theatre but have Loved it since I found the VHS at my local Video Store Years back. In remembrance of Gene Hackman s Birthday I bought the DVD on Amazon and rewatched again. Totally underated Boxing Movie that is For Sure. The Fighting McGuinns could match up with ROCKY in the Ring anyway. Straight Forward Story. Mob Guys want something the Brothers won't do and Dad and Grandad help. Pretty Violent but Brothers Love Strong ! Family Loyalty abides.

Spilt Decisions seemed to have had an outstanding cast which should have made this a really good, if not great movie. However, Split Decision turned out to be a dismal failure. The script was ripe with overly stereotyping. The plot line was unbelievable. The acting was over the top and lacked any real emotion or reality. The beautiful, talented, and sexy Jennifer Beals was completely wasted in this mess, as was the legendary Gene Hackman. It seemed that everyone was just going through the motions. I don't know if this movie was a hit at the box-office, but I honestly can't believe it was. If you're a Hackman fan, go rent Bonnie and Clyde, The French Connection, or I Never Sang For My Father, to see Hackman's true acting worth. If you love a great boxing flick, you're better off renting Fat City, The Champion (Kirk Douglas), ROCKY, or Body and Soul (John Garfield), and pass on this major failure of a film.

Eddie McGuinn is a young amateur boxer who's good enough for the Olympics. His brother Ray also boxes, but he's an egotistical hothead who aligns himself with lowlifes. When the mob tells Ray to lose a fight against "Snake" Pedroza, he refuses, and is killed by mafia thugs and Pedroza himself. As a result, Eddie decides to put his Olympic dreams behind and turn pro so he can fight Pedroza himself, and avenge his brother's death.

Simply it is amazing, it may not be one of Hackman's best known films but it is one of his best.

A must see.

It's hard to believe they actually made this film. What were they thinking? Better yet, what were Gene Hackman, Jeff Fahey, and Jennifer Beals thinking? They do a decent job in the acting area but the plot is so stale it looks like a fight film from the 40s. And the fight scenes are so staged it looks an amateur film. I mean, after "Rocky" we are all used to some pretty good fight scenes where it looks like the guy is actually being hit.

If you like fight films there are two good Rocky films, especially the first which I thought was excellent. As they continued to make them they ultimately devalued the original, but at the time I thought it was brilliant. Now that it is a cliché it's hard to remember how powerful the original was. In addition to Rocky I liked "The Fighter" (2010), "Warrior" (2011), "Fight Club" (1999), "Raging Bull" (1980), "Cinderella Man" (2005), "Champion" (1949), and "The Set-up" (1949). Of course I've left out the Kung Fu genre.