Jeff Chandler
Coke Mason
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Drama
In Coaltown, Pennsylvania, miner Coke Mason hopes to better himself, buy a radio store, and marry Rose Warren. His gambler brother George thinks Coke can be more successful as a boxer, knowing that when he fights he's consumed with a murderous rage that makes him an "iron man." Seeing dollar signs in Rose's eyes, Coke reluctantly agrees, though he's fearful of the "killer instinct" that makes him a knockout success in the ring...and brings him the booing hatred of the fans. Will Coke throw off his personal demon before he kills someone?
Top Billed Cast
| Release Date | 1951-09-20 |
|---|---|
| Runtime | 1h 22m |
| Directors | Joseph Pevney, Carl E. Guthrie, Joseph Gershenson, John Sherwood |
| Producers | Aaron Rosenberg, John W. Rogers |
| Writers | W.R. Burnett, George Zuckerman, Borden Chase |
Now I did struggle with the idea of Jeff Chandler as a red-misted boxing champion, but here he acquits him self adequately enough. He's coal miner "Coke" who dreams of wedding his girl "Rose" (Evelyn Keyes) and buying a radio store. His rather more venal brother "George" (Stephen McNally) runs a pool hall and discovers that when his sibling gets cross, really cross, his fists can do his talking for him. The ring beckons, and success follows - but at a price. "Coke" is a brute. He fights legal, but dirty - and the crowd gradually learn to loathe him. Finally he has had enough and wants to stop, but discovers that his now wife is embroiled in some match-fixing with "George" and he faces quite a dilemma - one epitomised at the denouement with a bout with the equally unlikely pugilist Rock Hudson ("Speed"). It's another of the stories set in an industrial town where opportunities were scant and where boxing was a route out if you were prepared to take and give a beating. This one tries to introduce the concept of a conscience in the lead character and the photography does give some sort of indication as to the brutality in the ring. It's a solid film that has just about enough action and a message to convey about right (hooks) and wrong.
— CinemaSerf