Rating: PG
Genre:
Drama
Theatrical Release: 09/02/1988(USA)
Release Date: 03/18/2008
SubTitles: English/Espanol
Dubbed: English/Espanol/French
Sound: DD5.1/DD1
Run Time: 120 Minutes
Flags: Adult Situations, Not For Children, Adult Language, Profanity
Distributor/Studio: MGM
Writer/director
John Sayles' dramatization of the most infamous episode in professional sports -- the fix of the 1919 World Series -- is considered by many to be among his best films and arguably the best baseball movie ever made. This adaptation of
Eliot Asinof's definitive study of the scandal shows how athletes of another era were a different breed from the well-paid stars of later years. The Chicago White Sox owner,
Charlie Comiskey (
Clifton James), is portrayed as a skinflint with little inclination to reward his team for their spectacular season. When a gambling syndicate led by
Arnold Rothstein (
Michael Lerner) gets wind of the players' discontent, it offers a select group of stars -- including pitcher
Eddie Cicotte (
Sayles regular
David Strathairn), infielder
Buck Weaver (
John Cusack), and outfielder
"Shoeless" Joe Jackson (
D. B. Sweeney) -- more money to play badly than they would have earned to try to win the Series against the Cincinnati Reds.
Sayles cast the story with actors who look and perform like real jocks, and added a colorful supporting cast that includes
Studs Terkel as reporter
Hugh Fullerton and
Sayles himself as
Ring Lardner.
~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide
;)
