Movie Review: Paradise Alley

Staring Sylvester Stallone, Paradise Alley was filmed in 1978 and co-stars none other than former ECW & NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Terry Funk!

The film is set in the late 1940’s and is about three Italian-American brothers with differing views on life living in Hell’s Kitchen (New York, not Gordon Ramsey’s TV Show).  While all three brothers have taken different paths in life they all ended up with the same results, struggling to get out of their poverty stricken neighbourhood.  Stallone playing the character Cosmo, is a hustler doing anything for cash from panhandling to gambling.

Spending an evening at an underground club called Paradise Alley (Get it?  That’s the name of the movie!) Cosmo becomes convinced that his brother Victor could make a fortune becoming a wrestler.  You see this club hosts wrestling matches where anyone can challenge the champion and if they win they get $100.00 in cold hard cash.  Together the three brothers get into the wrestling business as Victor starts to show promise.

Enter Frankie the Thumper played by Terry Funk.  Frankie is rough and tough grappler regarded as the best around whose manager doesn’t care for Cosmo and his antics.  The three brothers are looking for a final payday as Victor is becoming increasingly beat up with a busy schedule.  Inevitably the big match up is set as Victor “Kid Sausage” Carboni challenges Frankie the Thumper in a sold out Paradise Alley main event.

Overall the movie isn’t that bad and I would say it is better than, say, No Holds Barred (which is awesome, by the way) but not as good as The Wrestler (Mickey Rourke version not Verne Gagne’s).  Part of my thinks Vince McMahon should buy the rights to this movie and remake it.  Anyway if you ever see it in some bargain bin or old video store, it’s worth a couple of bucks.

Somewhere in some alternate universe Victor “Kid Sausage” Carboni is challenging Thunderlips in a huge title bout at Madison Square Gardens.