Requiem For A Heavyweight (1962)

An aging punch drunk boxer (Anthony Quinn) has had it in the ring, his body so damaged that if he continues to fight it could blind or even kill him. But his manager (Jackie Gleason) owes a lot of money to some thugs and continues to press the fighter in an attempt at recovering his losses. Based on the 1956 teleplay by Rod Sterling (who adapted it for the screen) and directed by Ralph Nelson (LILIES OF THE FIELD). What a wonderful film! In expanding it for the screen, Serling wisely doesn't pad it out and diffuse its power so the movie remains with a compact under 90 minute running time. Quinn, in one of his best performances, restrains his tendency to overact (which marred Jack Palance's work in the 1956 TV version) and is quite touching, going big when its just the right time. His scenes with Julie Harris are beautifully and quietly played. The film is also a bit edgier than its TV predecessor and which fleshes out Gleason's character a bit more. The film benefits from the atmospheric B&W lensing of Arthur J. Ornitz (SERPICO) and a marvelous underscore by Laurence Rosenthal. With Mickey Rooney (superb!), Stanley Adams, Madame Spivy and Muhammad Ali as himself.