This gritty Canadian drama stars William Smith as Dandy Dan, an aging, alcoholic wrestler whose traveling roadshow career is nearing its end. Smith is predictably good, and Michelline Lanctot is also outstanding as his erstwhile lover and ring attendant, Lucky. The rest of the cast doesn't fare quite so well, with Brian Patrick Clarke offering an anodyne performance as 'Jungle Boy' Jim Davenport, the baby-faced new wrestler in the troupe, and John McFadyen uncomfortably lumpy as sleazy promoter Jake McCann. While Blood and Guts was clearly shot on a shoestring, it's now a fascinating look at life in the squared circle before the era of Vince McMahon and the WWF: a life of uncomfortable travel, seedy arenas in decaying rust belt cities, unscrupulous promoters, and NO cable TV deals.
Review of Blood & Guts
