Movie Review: No Holds Barred (1989)
Synopsis: After regularly losing to professional wrestling in the ratings, television executive Tom Brell creates a no-holds-barred tough guy competition. When his attempts to court the heavyweight champion, Rip Thomas fail, Brell resorts to extreme measures to force Rip to face his tough guy champion, Zeus and ultimately succeeds when Rip's younger brother, Randy is injured while attempting to fight Zeus himself.
Who's in it? The movie stars Hulk Hogan, Kurt Fuller, Tom Lister Jr., Joan Severance and Mark Pellegrino.
Review: I first/last watched No Holds Barred when I was a teenager and, while I couldn't remember a whole lot about the film, I did remember a lot of the promotional things that went with it, including Hulk Hogan facing Zeus (Lister) in a WWF (now WWE) tag team match. As an adult, those memories seem a bit goofy today. However, after re-watching the movie this morning, I honestly thought it was better than i was expecting.
Hogan is, without a doubt, the star of the film, playing a fictionalized version of his wrestling persona. In fact, I'd probably describe the bulk of the movie as being comparable to the various promotions that I remember seeing when I watched him wrestle on TV.
I also thought the action scenes were reasonably good. Some of them are a bit more funny than exciting and maybe a little repetitive, such as when Rip fights off various henchmen, however, the final battle between Rip and Zeus was fun to watch, even if it did get a bit over the top at times.
That said, the reason this movie exceeds expectations is the main villain, Brell (Fuller). He is sadistic and manipulative enough to be a real threat to Rip but at the same time manages to be comedic. it was the right balance for a movie like this, which I don't think was ever meant to be taken too seriously.
Ironically, if there is a weak link, it is Hogan. As I mentioned, the overall lead-in to his final battle with Zeus was practically ripped off from his professional wrestling matches and that part was OK because it wasn't too much of a stretch. He, however, seemed to really struggle with the more dramatic parts of the movie, seeming uncomfortable at times.
Then there's the whole attempted rape scene involving Rip's new girlfriend, Samantha (Severance) which featured Rip making jokes while rescuing her rather than even remotely appreciating the seriousness of the situation. It's something that did not age well and was hard to watch.
Final Opinion: It's not a great movie by any means, especially since Hogan wasn't always the most convincing character. It is, however, entertaining and if you haven't seen it, it won't hurt to watch it once.
My Grade: C+
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Here are some reviews of other movies featuring professional wrestlers:
Movie Review: Hidden Strike (2023)
Movie Review: Pro Wrestlers vs Zombies (2014)
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