Review of The Great White Hype (1996) by Kris L — 01 Mar 2009
The Great White Hype is a relatively entertaining satire on the world of boxing that comes dangerously close to predicting how boxing wound up becoming by today's standards. The story revolves around the Sultan (Samuel L.
Jackson, whose great as always), a promoter who runs a corrupt empire build on making money through the boxers he promotes, namely the Grim Reaper (played hilariously by Damon Wayans). After this last big bout, Sultan and his entourage (including Corbin Bernsen, Jeff Goldblum, the underused Cheech Marin, and Jon Lovitz) scheme to built a fight with a white heavyweight contender (Peter Berg).
This is a rather comedic look at the seedy underbelly of boxing with a lot of corrupt dealings and backstabbing that makes for some funny moments rather than the more realistic dangerous side. The entire cast is funny, but the material itself is kinda thinned out.
Decent direction from Reginald Hudlin, but he's done better....way better, like House Party and/or The Ladies Man. Not a bad movie though.
This review of The Great White Hype (1996) was written by Kris L on 01 Mar 2009.
The Great White Hype has generally received mixed reviews.
Was this review helpful?
