Diggstown
| Diggstown | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Michael Ritchie |
| Produced by |
Robert Schaffel Youssef Vahabzadeh |
| Written by | Steven McKay |
| Starring | |
| Music by | James Newton Howard |
| Cinematography | Gerry Fisher |
| Edited by | Don Zimmerman |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
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Release date
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Running time
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98 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $17 million |
| Box office | $4,836,637 |
Diggstown, also known as Midnight Sting, is a 1992 American sports comedy drama film directed by Michael Ritchie, and stars James Woods, Louis Gossett, Jr., Bruce Dern, Heather Graham, Oliver Platt and Randall "Tex" Cobb.
Gabriel Caine (James Woods), a con man, is released from prison in Winfield, Georgia and immediately gets to work on his next scam. Caine and his partner, Fitz (Oliver Platt), travel to a small town not far from the prison: Diggstown, a city obsessed with boxing.
A mean-spirited man named John Gillon (Bruce Dern) owns almost all of Diggstown. He is feared by many but also respected because he was the former manager of Diggstown’s pride and joy, the once-famous boxer Charles Macom Diggs, the man for whom the town is named.
Upon hearing a remark that Diggs once knocked out five fighters in one day, Fitz “drunkenly” says he knows of a fighter who could knock out any 10 in one day: Honey Roy Palmer. Gillon tries to take advantage of the situation and bets Fitz $100,000 that no one man can best ten Diggstown boxers in one day. Caine quickly volunteers to finance Fitz's bet and the con is on.
Caine seeks out an old buddy, Palmer (Louis Gossett Jr.), who is now a 48-year-old YMCA supervisor. After some initial reluctance, Palmer agrees to participate and starts to train for the fight. Caine and Gillon agree to various conditions of the bet, with “one day” being 24 full hours and “Diggstown fighters” being able to come from any surrounding area of Olivair County. A loan shark backs Caine's bet, with the understanding that his health and welfare will be riding on the outcome.
Caine discovers that Gillon’s treachery (and his bank account) goes deeper than Diggstown people know. As his manager, Gillon drugged Diggs during a fight so that Gillon could collect on the opponent’s long odds. Diggs suffered irreversible brain damage as a result. With help from his prison buddy Wolf's sister (Heather Graham), it is learned that Gillon has more than $1.5 million in assets. Caine tricks him into risking all of it. Now it is up to Honey Roy Palmer to defeat all 10 of Diggstown's men.
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