Sylvester Stallone stands for genuine “men’s cinema” – or what was thought to be, especially in the 80s. With big muscles, snappy jokes and heroic underdog stories as well as one-against-all actioners, he once lured the masses to the cinemas. But Stallone is not only Rocky Balboa or John Rambo, but also Lincoln Hawk – in “Over The Top”, who not only uses clichés about what was once understood as masculinity for himself, but actually celebrates it.
A road trip fueled by gasoline, testosterone and fatherly love takes place in “Over The Top” – one of the biggest productions in the history of the legendary B-action forge Cannon Films, which flopped mercilessly in the cinema (and thus also the downfall of the Studios heralded), but still rightly enjoys cult status today. The problem: The classic by former Cannon boss Menahem Golan, who not only launched “Over The Top” as a producer, but also directed it himself, has been disappearing more and more from dealer shelves in recent years. Accordingly, the new edition appearing this week is overdue:
» “Over The Top” in the media book: at Amazon* / at Capelight*
Thanks to the label Capelight, which is so popular with collectors, there is “Over The Top” is finally back on Blu-ray from September 30, 2022 – as a Limited Collector’s Edition in the Mediabook. Not only is it really stylish, it also traditionally comes with a DVD and a 24-page booklet for the film. You can do without the nicely packaged collector’s edition and the HD version and just want to put “Over The Top” on your shelf for as little money as possible? Alternatively, the Stallone classic is also available as a new single DVD:
» “Over The Top” DVD: at Amazon* / at Capelight*
For once, Sylvester Stallone doesn’t swing from one shooting orgy to the next in “Over The Top”, but swears – similar to “Rocky” – to pure muscle power, even if not in the boxing ring. While Lincoln Hawk is barely surviving as a truck driver, he regularly earns extra money in arm wrestling competitions. And even so successfully that he now wants to go all the way to the top.
Because at some point it’s no longer enough for him to pull off drunk bikers in run-down motorway service stations. He wants to be number 1 and that’s why he’s setting off for the world championship with his steel colossus. On the way there, however, he faces a number of challenges. Just now, his dying ex Christina (Susan Blakely) calls and asks him to take their son with him on the trip. But Lincoln hasn’t seen him since he was born many years ago…
Likeable, naive, funny and accompanied by a soundtrack for eternity, “Over The Top” has enjoyed cult status for many years – which will probably never be taken away from him again, even if the trade press was once reluctant to praise it and the film crash-landed at the box office. “Over The Top” drips with 80s flair and is wonderfully exaggerated testosterone cinema, which is still a lot of fun after more than 35 years – if you don’t take it too seriously.
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