Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro go head to head for the first time in over a decade, reuniting for a little action in the boxing comedy, Grudge Match.
Following on from yesterday’s new look at De Niro’s character, we’ve got another exclusive character piece to share, this time centred on Stallone’s Henry “Razor” Sharp.
In “Grudge Match,” De Niro and Stallone play Billy “The Kid” McDonnen and Henry “Razor” Sharp, two local Pittsburgh fighters whose fierce rivalry put them in the national spotlight. Each had scored a victory against the other during their heyday, but in 1983, on the eve of their decisive third match, Razor suddenly announced his retirement, refusing to explain why but effectively delivering a knock-out punch to both their careers. Thirty years later, boxing promoter Dante Slate Jr., seeing big dollar signs, makes them an offer they can’t refuse: to re-enter the ring and settle the score once and for all.
But they may not have to wait that long: on their first encounter in decades, their long-festering feud erupts into an unintentionally hilarious melee that instantly goes viral. The sudden social media frenzy transforms their local grudge match into a must-see HBO event. Now, if they can just survive the training, they may actually live to fight again.
Kevin Hart, Alan Arkin, Kim Basinger, and Jon Bernthal complete the impressive ensemble, with LL Cool J putting in some face time in a cameo role as well.
Peter Segal (Get Smart, The Longest Yard) returns behind the camera for his first feature since 2008’s Get Smart. Segal is directing from a script penned by Tim Kelleher (The Arsenio Hall Show) and Rodney Rothman (Late Show with David Letterman).
Grudge Match will be released in the US on Christmas Day, before heading to UK cinemas on 24th January. In the meantime, here’s the new character piece to get acquainted with Stallone’s Razor.
