F.I.S.T. *** (1978, Sylvester Stallone, Rod Steiger, Peter Boyle, Melinda Dillon, David Huffman, Tony Lo Bianco, Kevin Conway) – Classic Movie Review 10,645

Director Norman Jewison’s 1978 film F.I.S.T. is based on a story by Joe Eszterhas, and stars Sylvester Stallone, Rod Steiger, Peter Boyle, Melinda Dillon, David Huffman, Tony Lo Bianco and Kevin Conway.

With the help of liberal-minded film-maker Jewison, Stallone creditably tries something different, an ambitious Fifties-style social melodrama set in the 1930s about a rebellious Hungarian immigrant called Johnny Kovak (Stallone), who starts as a Cleveland warehouse worker and then rises up through the ranks to become the corrupt boss of a trucking industry union with links to organised crime.

Stallone makes a good fist of his attempt at a part that perhaps needed Marlon Brando in his prime, and, though the screenplay undoubtedly fascinates, it is not tight enough, nor pacily handled by director Jewison.

Nevertheless there is plenty to admire, not least all the support performances from a stalwart cast. The star wrote the screenplay with Joe Eszterhas and Norman Jewison (uncredited). Rod Steiger also stars as Senator Madison, who starts a campaign to uncover the truth about Kovak’s connections with organised crime.

F.I.S.T. stands for Federation of Inter State Truckers, the Teamsters union in disguise.

Also in the cast are Cassie Yates, Henry Wilcoxon, Brian Dennehy, Peter Donat, John Lehne, Richard Herd, Tony Mockus Jr, Ken Kercheval and Elena Karam.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,645

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