Diggstown Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Diggstown Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf August 6, 2015

Director Michael Ritchie maintained a special interest in movies about sports. Not many of them were great (there was one masterpiece in 1976’s “The Bad News Bears”), but they all retained a shaggy personality that inspected the minutiae of teamwork and the power of the individual. 1992’s “Diggstown” (titled “Midnight Sting” on the Blu-ray) isn’t explicitly a boxing picture, but it carries the weight of a production that understands the stamina and mental acuity of the sport, working to make the ring encounters hit as hard as the twists and turns of this con man story. Although it’s ultimately a tale of trickery and revenge, “Diggstown” is most comfortable throwing punches, communicating exhaustion with confidence as the rest of the shenanigans remain diverting, but tonally unbalanced.

Fresh out of a Georgia prison, where he reigned supreme as a middle man for escapes and betting, Gabriel (James Woods) is ready to commence his greatest score. An expert con man with an ability to buy and charm anyone, Gabriel has come to the rural community of Diggstown to begin planting the seeds on an elaborate scheme, aided by partner Fitz (Oliver Platt). The target is Gillon (Bruce Dern), the ruthless owner of the town, which was founded on the legacy of a boxer betrayed by his inside circle. Offering a bet that pits the town’s best fighters against “Honey” Roy Palmer (Lou Gossett Jr.) for a 25 round match, Gabriel hopes to entice Gillon with great odds and enormous cash. Accepting the wager, Gillon begins training his roughest boxers, hoping to pummel Roy when the event arrives. Gabriel has a little more on his mind that sheer skill, working all the angles to weaken Gillon’s line-up of young brutes, matching a known cheater with his own display of tricks and scams.

The relative beauty of “Diggstown” is its simplicity. There’s little time devoted to anything outside of the central con, with Ritchie and screenwriter Steven McKay (“Hard to Kill”) focusing on Gabriel’s plan as it takes shape in the country community. Beyond obvious kinks and reveals along the way, the production isn’t out to completely trick the audience, making it clear right up front that Gabriel is up to something in Diggstown, using his connections and smarts to erect a proper scam capable of bankrupting Gillon. “Diggstown” is about the art of the con, following the development of its key components and the irritation of egos, allowing the strangers to infiltrate the locals with promises of easy money and revenge. While based on a book by Leonard Wise, the feature doesn’t distract easily, only truly tripping up with the character of Emily (Heather Graham), a local with ties to Gabriel’s prison stint. Build up to be a critical member of the team (with hints of becoming a love interest), Emily is waved away in the second half of the movie, never to be heard from again.

“Diggstown” is undeniably fun, especially when it concentrates on setting traps for Gillon and his cronies, with money the primary bait. Fitz actually kicks off the plan, besting locals at cards and pool, greasing up hostilities for Gabriel, who swoops in to take advantage of those blinded by revenge opportunities. Ritchie maintains consistent escalation, focusing on brewing antagonism between Gabriel and Gillon, who share a common goal of humiliation, barely keeping disappointments masked as the scheme unfolds and the wager develops from a basic wad of cash to utter disaster for the loser. “Diggstown” has its moments in the first half, with a snarky attitude and run of deception, while training sequences are also diverting, watching Palmer go from a doughy 48-year-old gym manager to the fighting machine he once was, putting his faith in Gabriel despite a sketchy history with his mischievous promoter. There’s a subplot exploring the town namesake, a physically incapacitated boxing champ exploited by Gillon (played silently by Wilhelm von Homburg, who portrayed Vigo in “Ghostbusters II”), but little is known beyond the basics (perhaps this is another literary chapter lost in translation), leaving Ritchie to mastermind physical conditioning montages, with Palmer working diligently to get in shape and sharpen his hustle, preparing to box a horde of ferocious contenders.

The second half of “Diggstown” is dedicated to the special match, but it doesn’t remain in the ring for 45 minutes of punching and weaving. Gillon has a few tricks up his sleeve to combat Gabriel’s deception, and the script works through payoffs, misinformation, and secret financial files to nurture the feature into a suitable rage. Murder pops up as well, which throws off the genial atmosphere of intimidation developed by Ritchie, offering severity that’s difficult to shake. Suddenly a film that’s been all smiles has a body count, yet the effort desires a return to mild comedy and ringside shenanigans. It doesn’t completely work, dimming the spirit of “Diggstown,” which successfully establishes Gillon as a deadly, devious man capable of extremity to preserve his financial standing, yet it also wants to host a climatic party. Tonality is disrupted, never fully recovering.

Diggstown Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation shows fatigue with unmotivated colors, finding most hues registering on the flat side, diluting the power of costumes and storefronts, while skintones run too pink at times, losing human consistency. Detail isn't strong with the softly shot picture, but a few textures aren't completely smoothed out, showing life during boxing sequences, capturing busted faces and painted bodies, and close-ups are semi-intact, surveying actors with distinct features. Delineation is acceptable but never remarkable, not challenged in full during this brightly lit movie, which also offers bloomy whites. Source is in acceptable condition, with some speckling detected and a few scratches on view.

Diggstown Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix immediately comes through sharply, with crispy highs on even moderate dramatic encounters, though the overall push of the track runs loudly. Dialogue exchanges are preserved, with intelligibility never a problem, even when the action turns to the ring. Scoring holds instrumentation and weight, supporting the action securely. Atmospherics pop with a little more force, finding group activity in prison and alongside the boxing ring carrying varied activity.

Diggstown Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Making Of (4:55, SD) is an EPK morsel focusing on salesmanship from cast and crew. Extensive, spoiler-heavy footage from the film (titled "Diggstown" here) is braided with cheery interviews, finding Woods in an especially good mood as he shares the picture's plot and talks a cameramen out of his watch.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:28, HD), with the "Midnight Sting" title, is included.

Diggstown Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Diggstown" finds some real thrills in the ring, studying Palmer as he takes on a series of opponents, each carrying different skills and attitudes. Gossett, Jr. is terrific in the role, communicating the fatigue of the fight and its numerous surges in adrenaline and horror, while Woods is Woods, working his fast-talking routine without interruption, with the pair sharing a surprisingly robust chemistry. As a boxing movie, "Diggstown" isn't revolutionary, but it has power and a sense of humor. Blended with the con elements, and the picture delivers on easy escapism, providing a breezy viewing experience that's only periodically interrupted by grim violence.