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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Old-fashioned moral dilemma, long before steroid age., September 27, 2005
The Basketball Fix is a simple story about college baskeball player Johnny Long, played by Marshall Thompson (Daktari, Bad Bascomd, First Man Into Space, Flight of the Lost Balloon, etc.), who starts out with a good enough old-fashioned work ethic, but falls into bad company (William Bishop). He resists the temptation to take bribes to lose points in his games until he runs into financial trouble trying impress his girlfriend (Vanessa Brown) with jewelry and so forth. He decides to take a bribe for just one game, as long as he doesn't have to throw the game entirely, but once in, he's forced to keep playing ball with the mob. John Ireland (Wake Up And Dream, A Walk In The Sun, The Fast and The Furious) is a sports columnist who helped Johnny get his start, and narrates the movie.
While watching, it occurred to me that in these unfortunate days of professional athletes regularly cheating by steroids, no one would take Johnny's dilemma seriously, and most people will probably find this story naive or trite. However, it's reasonably well made and interesting for a B-movie, and perhaps one of the only films on the subject. I got the DVD for $1, and I think it was more than worth it (I would have paid $2 or $3). Comparing it to other films of the time, I can give it 3 stars, but if you're the type who doesn't like black and white movies just because they aren't in color, or finds such moral dilemmas boringly out of date, you probably won't care for The Basketball Fix.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nicely Done, April 27, 2005
This review is from: The Basketball Fix (DVD)
Here I am 50 years after the release of this film writing a positive review of it. The storyline is relatively complex for this era. It shows how a player gradually got caught up in something he never planned. His motives might even have been considered somewhat admirable as he had the interest of his girlfriend and little brother in mind in deciding, reluctantly, to get involved.
The subtle nature of temptation is conveyed in that he is not called upon to lose any games, merely play poorly enough for them to be close. Marshall Thompson plays the lead role of Johnny Long. Sports journalist Pete Ferreday is played by John Ireland. The screenplay is written in such a way that the characters nuances come through. Felix Feist did a nice noir-ish type film. It all comes together in a way to hold your attention to the end.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Old-fashion moral dilemma, from long before steroid age., September 27, 2005
This review is from: The Basketball Fix (DVD)
The Basketball Fix is a simple story about college baskeball player Johnny Long, played by Marshall Thompson (Daktari, Bad Bascomd, First Man Into Space, Flight of the Lost Balloon, etc.), who starts out with a good enough old-fashioned work ethic, but falls into bad company (William Bishop). He resists the temptation to take bribes to lose points in his games until he runs into financial trouble trying impress his girlfriend (Vanessa Brown) with jewelry and so forth. He decides to take a bribe for just one game, as long as he doesn't have to throw the game entirely, but once in, he's forced to keep playing ball with the mob. John Ireland (Wake Up And Dream, A Walk In The Sun, The Fast and The Furious) is a sports columnist who helped Johnny get his start, and narrates the movie.
While watching, it occurred to me that in these unfortunate days of professional athletes regularly cheating by steroids, no one would take Johnny's dilemma seriously, and most people will probably find this story naive or trite. However, it's reasonably well made and interesting for a B-movie, and perhaps one of the only films on the subject. I got the DVD for $1, and I think it was more than worth it (I would have paid $2 or $3). Comparing it to other films of the time, I can give it 3 stars, but if you're the type who doesn't like black and white movies just because they aren't in color, or finds such moral dilemmas boringly out of date, you probably won't care for The Basketball Fix.
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