Screenshot
The story follows a small-time wrestling troupe scraping by in dingy basements and grotty local venues under the guidance of good-hearted owner and promoter Red Henkel (Henry Beckman, The Brood). The undisputed star of the outfit is veteran grappler Danny “Dandy Dan” O’Neil (William Smith, who seems born for this), an aging, hard-drinking, muscle-kissing narcissist wearing a blond wig and counting down the painful days to his inevitable retirement.
Everything shifts when a young, athletic spectator named Jim Davenport (Brian Patrick Clark) steps into the ring during a $100 challenge match. As Jim handles himself in this shoot situation, which really used to happen back in the day, Red spots immediate potential and brings him into the fold. Mentored by Dan, Jim cycles through various gimmicks—including The Fighting Physician and The Flying Frenchman—before striking gold with a loincloth-clad, Tarzan-style persona known as Jungle Boy.
As Jungle Boy’s popularity skyrockets, friction builds. Jealousy sets in as Dan watches his own star fade, exacerbated by Jim getting caught in bed with Dan’s girlfriend and bus driver, Lucky Brown (Micheline Lanctôt). Meanwhile, a ruthless rival promoter named Jake McCann (John McFadyen, Humongous) —harboring a decades-old grudge against Dan—tries to aggressively buy out Jim’s contract. When Red refuses to fold, McCann gets violent, setting the stage for a dramatic, high-stakes final showdown in the ring against a masked behemoth known as The Demon.
Long before modern exposés or reality-based wrestling shows, this film seems ahead of its time. The matches are shown to be real, but the angles and characters aren’t. Yet it shows the physical and emotional toll that the business puts people through.
Despite its low-budget, road-worn aesthetic, the film received a massive 11 nominations at the 29th Canadian Film Awards, including nods for Best Picture, Best Director (Paul Lynch and major acting categories. The production was originally conceived as a period piece, but mid-production budget cuts forced a pivot into the contemporary gritty setting, a happy accident that arguably gave the film its signature down-to-earth atmosphere.
According to Slamwrestling, wrestlers in this include Murray Cummings, “Silent” Brian Mackney, Bob Marcus, “Bullwhip” Danny Johnson, Paul Richard, Shawn Houselander, Dan Dunsmuir, Dennis Verbatic, and Vic Rossetani. Cool Cat Jackson and Bull Johnston.
Lynch would go on to direct Prom Night and plenty of TV after this. He did a great job on this, as it’s not only a great hang movie; it also has some really intense wrestling scenes.
