Watch Over the Top For Free

Let's be realistic.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Accepting the wishes of his sick ex-wife (Susan Blakely), truck driver Lincoln Hawk (Sylvester Stallone) tries to reconnect with his son Mike after a ten year absence. The grandfather Jason Cutler (Robert Loggia) had put the boy in military school and prevented Lincoln from contacting him. Lincoln is a legendary arm wrestling champ and a struggling truck driver. The grandfather works to gain custody after his daughter death. I don't like the kid. A bratty kid is a well accepted trope but one that has never been my favorite. It's not like he's cute either. Annoying cute kids can be funny. This kid is basic annoyance. Stallone is restricted in their relationship. I'm not loving him either. It's unreasonable for him to crash his truck through the gate. He hasn't shown himself to be a violent man. It would be better if the guards start a fight which he ends by crashing his truck. It muddles up the moral superior position. It's also pretty cheesy although some may find some fun with the cheese. If you're one, then enjoy.

OK, so this one doesn't get mentioned a lot when you're listing Stallone movies out loud. Rocky, Rambo, Cobra are the ones who come to mind quick and true to the fact that they are all rightfully legendary in their own right. Any one familiar with Stallone from the 70's, 80's and 90's can mention those 3 right off the bat. I am a HUGE Stallone fan. I love the guy more than I love my biological father (don't even ask). So, when I ask guys who are familiar with him to name a few of his movies, Over the Top is never mentioned and that....really annoys me. Over the Top is not a film that was meant to win an Oscar, if you'll pardon the pun to Sly's comedy masterpiece, but it sure should have turned some heads. Think about it, it's 1986. Rocky and Rambo have happened. Schwarzenegger has had The Terminator and Commando out. They are Hollywood's Go-to Action stars at the moment. So when Stallone decides to do this little film, which he acknowledges that he only made because it was quite a lot of money offered to him and he knew the role nor the script were anything special, you gotta love his efforts here. If it hadnt been Stallone in this, I probably wouldn't cherish it as much as I do. The movie is an 80s hidden gem. Why? OK, take it for what it is, and what do you have? A touching story about an everyday trucker who wishes to win an arm wrestling competition to gain the trust and respect of his son. Is that not noble enough? Apparently not to most. The movie has a beautiful message that CAN still be translated to today, but people will discard it because of their dislike for Stallone. Personally, I agree that Stallone's acting is not for everyone but to me, it is like Sushi, meaning that it is not for everyone and some people hate it incredibly but does that mean it's terrible? NOPE. Not at all. It is just a matter of taste. Stallone has always had a way of inspiring you through his roles, making underdogs believably outnumbered and surprisingly heroic, if Rocky and Rambo are not prime examples of that, I don't know what is. Back to the movie, it displays pretty strong acting from the kid who plays Stallone's son. May I remind you that before this movie, the kid did a lot of voice work?? Not too bad a transition, as well as Robert Loggia who looks very sinister EVEN in playing a well respected and powerfully influencing figure who can even disrespect heads of a military prep academy without batting an eye. Thats about it for the acting portion, which Stallone carries beautifully as much as an 80s hot action star can. Then there's the score for this film. Personally, I think it is wonderful. As a kid, I fell in love with "Winner takes it All'' and ''Meet me Halfway'' just because they sounded cool, cant say the same for the other tracks their respective singers put out but these ones were nice. Giorgio Moroder, whom a lot of us PACINO fans know, produced most of the Scarface film score. Now, this one doesn't have the bouncy and hacky Disco feel that Scarface did, rather than it holds a combo of power rock and synth laden riffs to make it sound like either a video game or a legitimate sports competition being broadcast. It fits very nicely though, considering the premise of the movie. To me, Over the Top is a childhood memory that I will always treasure. Watching it on DVD now, still gives me nostalgia and like I said, had it been another person playing Lincoln Hawk, I wouldn't have seen it twice. Sylvester Stallone is just such a unique and talented individual, that only he can give a character the toughness and vulnerability at the same time that he needs to make a movie inspirational and he continues to prove it EVEN after all these years, as he wins the Golden Globe for Rocky Balboa in a terrific movie called Creed, so if you cant value his talent and ability, then you just hate the guy out of sheer petulance. If you expected this to be Ben Hur or something, then you really don't know anything about cinema and only watch mainstream movies that mostly don't mean anything. Over the Top will always be a good little movie to watch, even if you're not a fan of the sport or the actor.

Disclaimer: If you are a viewer that mainly prefers art-house-type movies, then you might as well ignore this review. In addition, if you're not able to take an action classic sports drama, ignore this review, as well. We'll both be better off.Over the Top (1987) I really do believe is an action classic sports drama! This is a great film for what it is and it is "Over the Top"! This is a movie I always was a big fan of it. I am a just big fan of the film. I used to watch this film over TV when it was on and I used to had a copy on VHS tape, I don't have it anymore, but I will get it on Blu-ray. This movie is directed by one and only Menahem Golan and it was written by Stirling Silliphant and Sylvester Stallone him self. Right after Rocky IV, Rambo: First Blood Part II and Cobra was followed by Over the Top about an arm wrestler father who try to reconnect him self with his son. I Loved this movie as a child and I love it since now! I think Stirling Silliphant did a great job writing a screenplay for this movie, he actually first wrote for Don Johnson - Miami Vice star, when he was so popular in that TV show in the 80's. Stirling Silliphant's presence and screenplay did help a lot of this movie! I know A lot of people will disagree with me and put my review down but I prefer this movie over Rocky V and Real Steel! Someone wrote on IMDb on Rocky V "A wonderful movie about father and son", that would be Over the Top! If you look Rocky V closely, you will probably see, similar story from Over the Top! I know a lot of people are making fun of this movie saying is just ridicules, it is a drama about a father trying to reconnect with his son, it also has an arm wrestling. And I am what makes this movie and the plot more ridicules than Real Steel?, which is a film that got praised and got thumbs up by critics, I would really like to know, because that movie has the same plot and it is even more ridicules. It is about a father trying to reconnect with his son, but it also has robots boxing, boxing robots! That's more ridicules than arm wrestling! Really?, seriously? Real Steel has 60% Rotten Tomatoes, but this was slammed from critics and only got 36% and get's a lover ratings over Real Steel on both sides. And Real steel is a film that basically rips off this movie, does a bad job of it, it's 10 time ridicules than this. It is nearly as much fun and the father is an asshole who was whiling to sole his son. Really? He was whiling to sole his son! In this film Lincoln Hawk (Sylvester Stallone) is not that kind of dad, he would never even remotely thinking of doing that!!! In fact he beats some guys up, who try to takes his so away from him! So why Real Steel get's the praise?, but Over the Top get's the bashing and get's the crap from critics. I really don't understand, but that just me personally. If you like Real Steel more, that's fine I don't have a problem with that. Over the Top is not your film, that's cool, you don't like it, that's cool I just don't understand it. I just don't understand why this film has such a bad reputation, the same goes with Lethal Weapon 3. Why is Lethal Weapon 2 much more better and bad ass than Lethal Weapon 3, "oh wait Riggs kills 15 people in 2 and in 3 he only kills less than 5 people. To me that is not the case, I think Lethal Weapon 3 is the same good as the 2 is. The odds are always against this movie."The world meets nobody half way. If you want something? You gotta take it." Rocky and Rambo star Sylvester Stallone gives fans another reason to stand up and cheer. He stars as hard-luck big-rig trucker Lincoln Hawk and takes us under the glaring Las Vegas lights for all the boisterous action of the World Armwrestling Championship in Over the Top (co-scripted by Stallone). Relying on wits and willpower, Hawk tries to rebuild his life by capturing the first-place prize money - and the love of the son (David Mendenhall) he abandoned years earlier into the keeping of his rich, ruthless father-in-law (Robert Loggia). He matches muscles with some of the game's gargantuan greats - and grips you tightly with a rousing finale in crowd-pleasing Rocky style. Grab hold for rip-roaring fun! Over the Top is a 1987 sport drama film starring Sylvester Stallone. It was produced and directed by Menahem Golan, and its screenplay was written by Stirling Silliphant and Stallone. 10/10 Grade: Bad Ass Seal Of Approval Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures, The Cannon Group, Inc. Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Robert Loggia, Rick Zumwalt, Susan Blakely, David Mendenhall, Chris McCarty, Terry Funk, Bruce Way, Jimmy Keegan, Allan Graf, John Braden, Reggie Bennett Director: Menahem Golan Producers: Menahem Golan, Yoram Globus Screenplay: Stirling Silliphant, Sylvester Stallone Story by Gary Conway David Engelbach Rated: PG Running Time: 1 Hr. 33 Mins. Budget: $25.000.000 Box Office: $16,057,580

I think its unfair most of the criticism here focuses on superficial aspects. At the same time this shows that the actual qualities of this movie lies within its message. I admit the story isn't quiet realistic and the acting is not special but this movie is not like movies are nowadays. Its not a hype-realistic documentary about a father's life and his relationship to his son. Its rather a modern fairytale with focuses on the message its trying to bring across (which is predominantly the same message as in Rocky but in a more metaphoric way) alongside with portraying the type of a sympathetic warm hearted and sensitive man that is also strong and has his principles .. yes, both at the same time. Its a movie that will appeal to people who like warm hearted and emotional stories about underdogs fighting their way to success by the help of those that believe in them. If u like fairy tales with happy ends and with sympathetic leading actors, i recommend watching this movie.