I knew this movie wasn't going to be a classic before I watched it, so my expectations were low going in. The opening scenes were actually quite promising. I'm a sucker for nostalgia and for the whole plucky underdog made good thing. However, this movie didn't work for me. The plot is thick with the worst kind of tropes. I mean, really thick. I'd love to say it was so bad, it was good... But it really wasn't. I'd skip this one if I were you. Its not rocky and it's not good- fellas. It has a MOTW feel. I believe the main actor also wrote it. I wonder if he funded it too? I can't understand how it would have got made otherwise. There are some good actors in there, but they're under utilised and don't make any impact. There's even a surprise cameo towards the end. I won't spoil it, but it's laughable. By that point, after cliché on top of cliché, the scene just felt self indulgent.
Back in the Day
2016
Drama / Sport
Back in the Day
2016
Drama / Sport
Keywords: boxingmafia boss
Plot summary
Set in both the late 80's and current day, "Back in the Day" is a gritty tale about Anthony Rodriguez (William DeMeo),a half Italian - half Puerto Rican young teenager growing up on the streets of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn; a then very dangerous and racist neighborhood filled with bullies, big shots and social clubs where all of the neighborhood shots were called. Anthony had to endure an abusive, unemployed, alcoholic father but was blessed with a nurturing, hard-working mother who he loses at a very early age and is devastated by it. In spite of his bitterness, he struggles to uphold the morals his Mother taught him and retain his dignity in spite of being up against all odds. He is taken under the wing of a local mob boss, Enzo DeVino (Michael Madsen),who supports Anthony's wishes to escape his demons through the sport of boxing. Enzo connects Anthony with a trainer (Danny Glover),who means business, and turns Anthony into a contender although his troubled life and friends, who seem to always get him into trouble, hinder his career. As he journeys into adulthood with the nearly impossible goal of achieving a successful professional boxing career, Anthony manages to not only go pro, but literally fight his way to the top and become a world champion middleweight boxer at an unlikely age. But not without love, loss of love, humiliation, retaliation and revenge playing roles in his journey to the top. But when he finally does make it to the top, who will be left of anyone Anthony has ever cared about, to share it with? And who will be left to get in the way of Anthony's success, and living his dream?
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Top cast
Movie Reviews
Sports/mafia! What could go wrong? Everything! Bad movie
Goodfellas meets Rocky
A very good sports drama film about the life story of Anthony Rodriguez and 'The Lords of Brooklyn', which is a kind of crossover between Goodfellas and Rocky.
The movie has flaws, but also has a strong story.
The movie contains a lot of cheesy, stagy acting. The story is choppy and there is excessive use of flashbacks. The movie has an almost amateurish quality to it, as if it was filmed in one take and then quickly edited and put together into one reel. Nevertheless, the movie tells a good story, about a young man struggling to be a success in the mean world populated by a lot of shady people. The movie succeeds in making the audience care about what happens to him. To be a winner he has to overcome numerous obstacles. Of course, the premise is contrived, but that aside, it still succeeds as a story. One leaves the theatre feeling good about the young man and about all he has to go through to achieve redemption. That the story is set in Brooklyn, New York gives it a gritty quality which further strengthens the movie. Although this movie has its flaws, it also has its strong points, and is worth watching.