Flesh: A wrestling movie that is actually about being a sap

Is it worth your time?

If you like old movies that feel a bit dusty and weird, sure. It is perfect if you enjoy watching actors who really know how to take up space on screen. If you need a movie to move at a breakneck pace or have a tidy, happy ending, you should probably skip this one. It is a bit of a downer, honestly.

Wallace Beery is the whole show here. He plays this wrestler, Polokai, and he is just so big. Not just physically, but he acts like he is taking up all the air in the room. He has this way of looking confused and hopeful at the same time that makes you want to reach into the screen and tell him to run away from Laura.

Speaking of Laura, she is the classic 'trouble' character. It is fascinating how she steers him around. You can see the gears turning in her head every time they talk. She is not exactly a villain, but she is definitely not playing fair.

Odd moments that stuck with me

• The way Polokai eats. It sounds silly, but watching him handle food makes him feel like a real human, not just a character in a script.
• The wrestling scenes are surprisingly clunky. They don't look like the choreographed stuff we see today. They look like two sweaty people actually trying to push each other over in a basement.
• The dialogue feels like it was written by six different people—wait, I checked, and yeah, it was. There are about seven writers listed. That explains why the tone shifts so abruptly sometimes.

There is a scene in a train station that goes on for a bit too long. It is just them standing there, and the background noise is oddly loud, like a train is about to explode right next to them. I kept waiting for someone to shout, but they just kept whispering about the future. It was kind of uncomfortable.

It is not nearly as lighthearted as The Millionaire's Double, and it lacks that weird, frenetic energy you find in something like Footwork. It is grounded in a way that feels heavy. Almost like the film itself is tired.

The ending is not subtle. It hits you like a brick, and then the screen just goes black. No slow fade, no music swell, just... done. I sat there for a second looking at the reflection of my own living room in the dark TV screen. It was a weird feeling.

Maybe it is worth watching just to see Beery try to play a guy who is genuinely soft-hearted in a world that is anything but. He is a giant, but he is a giant with a glass jaw. If you want a movie that doesn't feel like it was polished by a committee, give it a shot. Just don't expect to feel good when the credits roll. 🤼‍♂️