Blood & Guts (1978)

Such a frustrating disappointment

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

One decade before Wrestling became a popular sport for the masses and was shown on TV channels this film portrays the downside of the scene, without any glamor.William Smith plays Dan, an aging wrestler with alcohol problems and he gives one of his finest performances. Smith is a great character actor if he gets the chance.It's a typical drama from the 70ies. Dan is the great showman on stage and helps a young wrestler to get into the business. Offstage we see his life problems. After getting a heart attack Dan is told to slow down a bit.A mobster wants to take control over the wrestling shows and how the fights end. It looks like the bad ones win this time but at the end Dan gets the mobster."Blood and Guts" is a low budget film and very rare to find. If you are a fan of William Smith this one is a must-see.

OK, I agree the film was not great, but I only own a copy because I love actor William Smith! He starred in it and as long as I could fast forward past the rest of it to see him I could have cared a less. I only wanted to see Bill. Former bodybuilder, he looked awesome in that role and I still think he's awesome today at 73. While the film was not horrible it was a typical 70's film. At least one of which Bill was not a villain. I really enjoyed him in this part.A friend recently transferred it to DVD for me, Hopefully one day it will be released on DVD. Jazzcat :)

This gritty Canadian drama stars William Smith as Dandy Dan, an aging, alcoholic wrestler whose traveling roadshow career is nearing its end. Smith is predictably good, and Michelline Lanctot is also outstanding as his erstwhile lover and ring attendant, Lucky. The rest of the cast doesn't fare quite so well, with Brian Patrick Clarke offering an anodyne performance as 'Jungle Boy' Jim Davenport, the baby-faced new wrestler in the troupe, and John McFadyen uncomfortably lumpy as sleazy promoter Jake McCann. While Blood and Guts was clearly shot on a shoestring, it's now a fascinating look at life in the squared circle before the era of Vince McMahon and the WWF: a life of uncomfortable travel, seedy arenas in decaying rust belt cities, unscrupulous promoters, and NO cable TV deals.

I got drowsy real fast over this snoozy little wrestling drama, so I took a nap until the tape in my VCR reached the end point. If you really like pro wrestling, watch the W.C.W. instead! With the action looking bloody well tame by modern standards, BLOOD AND GUTS has seen its better days. It's also very unappealing to many who are used to staying up on Monday nights to skip homework assignments. GRUNT: THE WRESTLING MOVIE is what I can recommend, although still not as exciting. Here's further proof that any movie with wrestling or monster trucks in it (i.e. ROLLING VENGEANCE) isn't worth the price of admission. Don't guess....it's B-O-R-I-N-G!One....two....THREE!!!