James Woods stars as con man Gabriel Caine, who travels to Diggstown, Georgia (with his partner Fitz (the amazing Oliver Platt) to set up his biggest con yet. Diggstown, named after local boxing hero Charles Macom Diggs, loves its boxing, and Fitz convinces the town magnate John Gillon (a sublimely sleazy Bruce Dern) to bet $100,000 that he can provide a fighter that can beat any ten Diggstown men in one day. This fighter is the now 48-year old Honey Roy Palmer.(Louis Gossett Jr.), a former partner of Caines who is dragged back into the ring for one last shot at glory (and a big pay day). The wagers begin to increase as the stakes get personal (and violent) and there are more than a few twists before all is said and done.

Once the climactic boxing match begins, the pace of the film speeds up considerably and doesn’t calm down until the effectively twisty ending. For experienced viewers the outcome may never feel in question, but writer Steven McKay (working from a novel by Leonard Wise) throws a few well timed curve balls right at the film’s climax.

The film is presented non-anamorphic in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The print is very dark and shows a significant amount of grain, particularly in the scenes where Honey Roy Palmer is jogging, though certainly a large improvement on my well worn VHS tape. Sound is perfectly adequate, and all of the bone crunching hits and fast talking come through clearly.

The DVD is bare bones and features no extras outside a theatrical trailer and the choice of English or French audio and subtitle tracks.

A highly entertaining and underrated film from the late director of Fletch, Diggstown deserves a better DVD treatment. If only so we can all get a better appreciation of Bruce Dern’s ability to transform himself into a human-rodent hybrid. Worth digging out.