Over the Top

Arm-wrestling might be far down on most viewers' list of "most cinematic sports," but Sylvester Stallone certainly goes the distance to prove the contrary in this lightweight but entertaining mid-'80s action/family feature. Stallone (who co-wrote the script with Stirling Silliphant) plays taciturn trucker Lincoln Hawk (though he's called "Hawks" by large portions of the cast), who faces two considerable challenges at once: to win the Las Vegas Arm Wrestling Championship, and to impress the son (David Mendenhall) who's been turned against him by his grandfather (Robert Loggia, snarling up a storm). Menahem Golan's direction and the soundtrack of bombastic '80s pop-rock (by Sammy Hagar, Kenny Loggins, and others) is anything but subtle, and the host of opponents Stallone faces look like they were culled from professional wrestling (indeed, veteran grappler Terry Funk is in the cast), but Sly stalwarts and '80s action aficionados may find this rousing entertainment. The widescreen anamorphic DVD offers only the original theatrical trailer as an extra. - Paul Gaita