I can't remember if I saw this Movie at the theatre but have Loved it since I found the VHS at my local Video Store Years back. In remembrance of Gene Hackman s Birthday I bought the DVD on Amazon and rewatched again. Totally underated Boxing Movie that is For Sure. The Fighting McGuinns could match up with ROCKY in the Ring anyway. Straight Forward Story. Mob Guys want something the Brothers won't do and Dad and Grandad help. Pretty Violent but Brothers Love Strong ! Family Loyalty abides.

Following a well worn cliché path, "Split Decisions" is far from original, nevertheless I found it entertaining. The three generations of Irish boxers seem to be in constant turmoil, but in the end stand together nicely. Gene Hackman is not the star here, even with top billing. It is Craig Sheffer and Jeff Fahey, as Hackman's sons, who carry the film. Jennifer Beals really has nothing to do, and is totally wasted. Character development is good, and the truncated boxing scenes are exciting............................. If you are willing to accept this revenge in the ring film for what it is, it is very watchable. - MERK

Gene Hackman plays the part of Dan McGuinn, a prizefighter as his father was and as his sons are, in this ragged tale of a scrappy Irish family in New York City, pointedly devoid of female members. All of the McGuinns, including sons Ray (Jeff Fahey),a professional, and Eddie (Craig Sheffer),a Golden Gloves champion and future Olympic aspirant, have been living together although Ray has moved elsewhere as the action begins, and as he attempts to climb into the upper ranks of the middleweight division. To do this, he has signed a contract to be managed by a rival of his father in order to better advance his chances, which creates an emotional fence between father and son. Partially filmed in the Hell's Kitchen district of New York, the work deals largely with Ray's unintentional involvement with a mob-connected boxing figure and the impact this has upon the four McGuinns. Publicity for the film avers that the ring backgrounds of director David Drury (an amateur in the U.K.) and of stunt boss Paul Stader lend authenticity to the fight scenes; however, this is far from the case. In fact, there is an enormous problem with the boxing footage being widely separate from reality, the final bout being grotesquely silly. Additionally, the direction fails to generate a sense of tension and largely bypasses that which would make a viewer buy into the scenario: exploration of the conflict between the N.Y.P.D. officer father and his wayward older son. Technical aspects of the editing are handled with competence but widespread cutting haunts the piece, increasing incredulity, particularly when joined by a poorly composed and cliche-flooded script. Fahey gives a strong performance, and his scenes with only Sheffer are probably the film's best (as released); Hackman gives his all, as is his custom, and James Tolkan is quite effective as a well-outfitted principal villain, but Jennifer Beals is lacklustre at best and her part easily could have been eliminated. Camerawork by Tim Suhrstedt and Michael Hanan's production design are top-flight but can do little to improve a motion picture honeycombed with nullity