Don't listen to the negative reviews

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

(04.07.86)Wrestlemania 2 was held in three places! We start off in Uniondale, NYYour hosts are Vince McMahon & Susan Saint James"Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff Vs The "Magnificent" Muraco (W/Mr. Fuji)The match ends in a double count-out after both men brawl on the floor. This was a match that was meaningless and directionless. I like both wrestlers as individuals, but it's hard not to be disinterested with how poorly it was thrown together. The crowd chanting "bullshi*****" over the finish says it all.*Intercontinental ChampionshipRandy "Macho Man" Savage (C) (W/Elizabeth) Vs George "The Animal" SteeleSavage retains the title by using the ropes to pin Steele. This was a very poor comedy match. Steele spends most of the match chasing Savage around and I didn't find Steele's OTT antics to be entertaining at all. Steele kicking out of the elbow drop irked me as well. *Jake "The Snake" Roberts Vs George WellsJake wins with a DDT. This is a glorified squash match. Wells got in some convincing offense, but the result is never in doubt. The most memorable thing about this match is Wells drooling from the snake being draped over him. *1/4Boxing Match"Rowdy" Roddy Piper Vs Mr. TT wins by DQ in the fourth round after Piper bodyslams T. This was an OK spectacle. It's pretty boring for today's standards, but back then it was pretty huge. Part 2 emanates from Chicago, IL at the Rosemont Horizon.Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon, Gene Okerlund & Cathy Lee CrosbyWomen's TitleThe Fabulous Moolah (C) Vs Velvet McIntyreMoolah pins McIntyre after McIntyre misses a splash (even though McIntyre's foot was on the ropes...) This was a very quick match and way too short for me to really comment any further on it.DUDFlag MatchNikolai Volkoff (W/Freddie Blassie) Vs Corporal KirchnerThe winner gets to raise the flag. Kirchner wins after using Blassie's cane. At least this match was short! Short and painless is what I like when it comes to stuff like this. 1/4*20 Man Battle RoyalThis one has stars from the NFL as well. The participants are Jimbo Covert, Pedro Morales, Tony Atlas, Ted Arcidi, Harvey Martin, Danny Spivey, Hillbilly Jim, King Tonga, The Iron Sheik, Ernie Holmes, The Killer Bees, Big John Studd, Bill Fralic, Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart, Russ Francis, Bruno Sammartino, William "refrigerator" Perry, and Andre The Giant. It comes down to Andre The Giant and The Hart Foundation. Needless to say, Andre dumps them both out to win the battle royal. This was OK for a battle royal. The NFL players didn't embarrass themselves. Perry and Big John Studd going at it was pretty cool and the crowd was electric for it. In one of the rare cases, the big man actually IS the favorite. Andre winning was a good choice, even if the fans desperately wanted William Perry to win it. (I don't rate battle royals)Tag Team ChampionshipThe Dream Team (C) (Greg Valentine & Brutus Beefcake) (W/Johnny Valiant) Vs The British Bulldogs (W/Capt. Lou Albano & Ozzy Osbourne)The Bulldogs win the title after Valentine collides with The Dynamite Kid head first. This is a textbook example of what tag team wrestling should be all about. Rarely will you ever see a tag team match go this smoothly. I can honestly say this match is awesome and completely stole the show.**** (out of 5 stars)We go to the Los Angeles, CA portion of the show!Your hosts are Jessie "The Body" Ventura, Lord Alfred Hayes, and ElviraRicky "The Dragon" Steamboat Vs Hercules Hernandez (W/Freddie Blassie)Steamboat wins with flying cross-body from the top. This match was alright, I suppose. It didn't have enough excitement to really get it over the hump, though. As amazing as Steamboat is in the ring, he can't work miracles. *3/4"The Adorable" Adrian Adonis (W/Jimmy Hart) Vs Uncle ElmerAdonis wins with a fistdrop of sorts from the top. The match was pure crap, of course. But watching Adonis bump around like crazy to try to get the match over is kinda fun.½*Terry Funk & Dory Funk Jr. (W/Jimmy Hart) Vs The Junkyard Dog & Tito SantanaThe Funks win when Terry Funk drills JYD with the Megaphone. This match was all sorts of fun! The match was rather wild and chaotic throughout with Terry Funk shining the most out of anyone in this match. Good stuff overall!***1/4WWF Championship (Steel Cage Match)Hulk Hogan (C) Vs King Kong Bundy (W/Bobby Heenan)Hogan retains the title by escaping the cage. This match gets by on solid drama and storytelling. Praise aside, this is still one of the weakest main events in Wrestlemania history. There is nothing outstanding about it or anything that should warrant a place on any "Best of" Steel Cage match DVD's. **It's not the greatest by any means, but after repeated viewings, it's not as bad as I originally thought. Having Wrestlemania in three different cities was an audacious idea that didn't quite pan out for Vince. I actually thought it hindered the show a bit. With all the hype Hogan Vs Bundy got, The Dream Team Vs The British Bulldogs stole a bit of their thunder and easily stole the show. Overall, this is one of the worst Wrestlemania's, but there are worse Wrestlemania's, such as Wrestlemania 9 and 11.

*POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD*I'll only say what hasn't already been said here (and I'll continue this for the rest of my WWF/WWE comments).If you're going to have a Women's title match, at least make it interesting, rather than just a squash to put over the current champion. I guess Moolah couldn't handle an intense match but they wanted to have the legend in a WrestleMania.I thought the Killer Bees were wasted in WrestleManias, especially here. I became a fan in 1989, about a year after the B. Brian Blair was gone and Jim Brunzell became a canvas back. So I didn't realize for a while that they were a top tag team, even top contenders.But I loved seeing Bill Fralic in the battle royal. He really came into his own here, creating a cocky heel character in a pre-match interview and even making an elimination in the battle royal. Besides Steve McMichael and Kevin Greene, he is the only professional athlete from my generation with any respect for wrestling (anyone remember Dennis Rodman?). And what was with the Hart Foundation's ridiculous green tights?

Match 1: Paul Orndorff and Don Muraco wrestled to a double-countout Match 2: Randy "Macho Man" Savage defeated George " the Animal" Steele Match 3: Jake "the Snake" Roberts defeated George Wells via pinfall Match 4: Mr. T defeated Roddy Piper by DQ in a boxing match Match 5: Women's Champion Fabulous Moolah defeated Velvet McIntyre Match 6: Cpl. Kirschner defeated Nikolai Volkoff via pinfall Match 7: Andre the Giant won a 20 man battle royal Match 8: British Bulldogs defeated Greg Valentine & Brutus Beefcake for the Tag Team Championship Match 9: Ricky Steamboat defeated Hercules via pinfall Match 10: Adrian Adonis defeated Uncle Elmer via pinfall Match 11: Hoss & Terry Funk defeated Junk Yard Dog and Tito Santana Match 12: WWE Champion Hulk Hogan defeated King Kong Bundy in a cage match Overall Mark: B+

This one is not quite as bad as the first, but it does suck. The tag-title match is good, and I like battle royals, so that is a fun watch (even with pro-footballers in there) But the three different locals sticks. YOu get stuck with different annoucers & crowds and just breaks up the show. Take a pass on this one for sure.