Is this the one where a member of the wrestling team always wins if there's music playing in the background?
I have memories of 2 high school wrestling movies from my youth. One was Vision Quest, which is great, but the other has a few scenes where one of the wrestlers on the team is losing until someone comes in with a boom box, he starts feeling the music, and then pins the other guy. Is "Take Down" that movie?
It sure is. I remember watching this movie on HBO in the early 80's and loving it. Good luck getting your hands on a copy, though - unless you're willing to settle for VHS. You can find a few copies priced upwards of $65 through Amazon.com. God bless
You recalled it correctly. I thought it was kind of dumb (mostly because I found the music to be terribly mediocre), but then it ties into a factoid that wrestlers whom do better are those with musical training. (How this works, no one quite knows, and who made the study on it I don't know.)
As to getting a copy of the film, I'd love to get my hands on (i.e. buy) a nice studio-released DVD but I can't find any anywhere. I'd be very cautious about ordering the product offered through Amazon.com. It's questionable what exactly it is they're selling. It lists the cast as Lynn Baird, Ron Bartholomew, Nicolas Beauvy, Scott Burgi or Hyde Clayton. Only Nicolas Beauvy (whom was not a major cast member but did a nice job) is correct. Reading through their customer reviews seems to only indicate problems.
TAKE DOWN is my favorite wrestling movie. Despite some goofball moments, it reflects more of what I admire about the sport than other films. I put HADLEY'S REBELLION (starring Griffin O'Neal) as my second favorite and recommend anyone checking it out. (Whereas TAKE DOWN shows the possitive side of the sport, HADLEY'S REBELLION addresses negative issues thaqt are important to consider.) SPOONER (starring Robert Urich) - about a professional forger on the run who hides out as a new head wrestling coach - would be my third choice. (Both SPOONER and TAKE DOWN are impossible to find.) I rank VISION QUEST fourth and last mainly because its subtext promotes gambling (telling audiences they just have to admire someone for risking health and welfare unduely -- something to which I disagree since pushing the envelope and going out of your way to hurt yourself are different things). (As to the fairly recent film REVERSAL, I haven't seen it yet.)
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