| Spike Of Bensonhurst (1988) Cast:Sasha Mitchell,Ernest Borgnine,Talisa Soto Sasha Mitchell stars as a two-bit fighter who dreams of becoming a champion boxer for a mobster (Borgnine) unfortunately he falls for the mobster's daughter, the mobster forces Spike out of Bensonhurst and he starts his own circuit on the hispanic side of town and falls for his best friend's sister (Soto) however when the mobster finds out that his daughter is carrying Spike's child he gives him his shot. Simply put this off-beat and quirky action-comedy is Sasha Mitchell's best movie to date. It's somewhat unfortunate that when one looks at Sasha Mitchell's career, to see such duds such as Gangland on his resume, afterall this is a guy who is talented and very good at playing likable characters. Spike Of Bensonhurst is one of the most enjoyable action comedies of the 80's, it plays a little like Rocky and a lot like The Outsiders and the combo is quite effective, plus Sasha Mitchell even before the Kickboxer sequels had a knack for kicking ass on screen, and in this Spike Of Bensonhurst works due to energetic boxing scenes, however all of this is a smokescreen when compared to how intellegent and off the wall the script is. Spike Of Bensonhurst features some quite interesting sub-plots such as Mitchell dealing with his mother's newly found lesbian lover as well as people regarding him as a loser, in that he knows he must prove himself, and we want him to because we like him. There isn't a single dull moment and the movie is a lively mix of satire, action, ethnic comedy and all of it is spun into satisfyingly enjoyable results. Sasha Mitchell's career after this would hit rock bottom, however Spike Of Bensonhurst is surprisingly considered by some to be offensive something unforuntate since this is satire at it's finest.. D.Paul Morrissey ***1/2 |