BAD GUYS

US, 1986, 86 minutes, Colour.
Adam Baldwin, Mike Jolley, Michelle Nicastro, Ruth Buzzi, James Booth.
Directed by Joel Silberg.

Bad Guys is a wrestling film - and definitely for wrestling fans only. it was produced at the sane time as another wrestling-focused film: Grunt.

This film has some pretensions to plot - paralleled to the Rocky sports films. Two policemen are successful at their job but come under criticism for their use of violence in combating a riot in a hotel (which has been engineered by mastermind crook entrepreneur, James Booth - a long way from the British comedies of the '60s and '70s in which he excelled). They try several jobs including labouring (but are caught by the foreman's wife) and a night as male strippers. However, one of them is a wrestling champion -and the two of them are taken over and managed by an attractive journalist. Needless to say there are wheelings and dealings, entrepreneurs trying to undermine their popularity, fixed fights. However, needless to say, all is well at the end as they become popular champions. The film focuses on the razzamatazz of the wrestling profession - the weird names, costumes, showmanship. Several wrestlers make an appearance as does comedienne Ruth Buzzi - as the raucous wife of the trainer.

It is in the vein of the sports films so popular in the '70s and '80s where the smaller people, the down-and-outers make good.

But still definitely for wrestling fans only.