Is James Woods a good actor or not?

Sure, he’s a total piece of shit - he seems to even take pride in it - but it’s an art vs artist high-wire we have both been balancing on for some time. With this episode, Colin and I finally confront the truth.

And the truth is - I have never seen this movie from the very beginning! What a, uh, playful and bouyant prologue in prison we get to see, capped off by one of the great protagonist-being-picked-up-from-prison moments of all time. Not the cherry on top, but it’s some kind of dessert.

Like many films of its era, Diggstown is populatede by a deep bench of familiar players, most of whom are crushing it. The MVP is probably Gossett Jr. with Oliver Platt close behind. Heather Graham is reliably loveable and grounded, although seemingly miscast as Tex Cobb’s sister - the age spread is curious. Bruce Dern is a living legend to this day and elevates this one at least a half star.

Come on down to Diggstown, where Vigo the Carpathian is the titular Charles Macon Diggs, a wheelchair-bound former boxer who is seemingly incidental to the story. There is so much more to unpack about how we get to the inciting incident - essentially, Oliver Platt betting that Diggs couldn’t have knocked out 10 out of 10 men, and that he knows someone who can. Yes, this movie is probably the most about gambling, somehow.

Diggstown tends to deliver despite having no real momentum as a story or point of view. It features an alarmingly out-of-place murder in the back half, charged with racial tension the movie does not deal with at all. That is easily its greatest flaw, because even the goofy, harmonica-drenched James Newton Howard score gives it a nostalgic texture rather than detracting from the picture.

Worth a watch if you have a spare 90 minutes - it will feel longer.

Here is a link to the Spotify episode.

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