Hitman Hart: Wrestling With Shadows (1998)

Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

It's a must-see for wrestling fans, but it's not just with them in mind. It also addresses people who don't understand the art of sports entertainment itself. To call this a biography of Bret Hart's career would be an understatement.To begin with, although it features mainly comments from Bret Hart himself, it's not actually biased towards "The Hit-man" - it features in fact takes on many of the wrestlers and Mr. McMahon himself. Most importantly, though, it's a deep journey into the unknown world of Wrestling behind the scenes: it doesn't hide the fact that most results are staged, but it also shows us why "Sports Entertainment" is enjoyed by so many people, why there are the good guys and the bad guys in the rivalries between the performers, and points out that the stigma of wrestling being fake is an overstatement. As Bret said, and I quote: "There is an art to wrestling, but people never come up to say 'You're a hell of an actor', they always come and say 'You're a phony!' Naturally, one big part of the documentary involves Bret's personal life and endeavors involving family members and fellow wrestlers, including the popular and shocking "Montreal Screwjob," and it does an excellent job at that. However, this is not just about "The Hit-man", it's about Wrestling Entertainment itself, its performers arduous tasks and lives outside the ring and how the fans define what they do. It's an awe-inspiring perspective that makes all sense and, without hiding anything, portrays the business as something even not only intriguing but also exciting and that has even once defined a rivalry between people from the U.S. and Canada.

I saw this documentary for the first time a few weeks ago when I learned that Bret Hart was coming back to work for the WWE (then WWF). This documentary was outstanding. Never has a famous person come across as so real and so vulnerable. Who can blame Bret for jumping to WCW? He had a family to worry about it and like any good man he did what he thought was best for his family. He did not want to leave Vince high-and-dry, but he was caught between a rock and a hard place. I have always been a pro wrestling fan, but I never realized how hard life is for these performers. The amount of politics that go on behind the scenes really is unbelievable. At the end of the day, Bret Hart faced a timeless moral dilemma: does he stick by the company that created him despite his moral objections to the direction that the company is taking, or does he turn his back on them and follow his heart, even if it means selling out and betraying friends? It is a decision that we all must make in one form or another, and it is this that makes Wrestling with Shadows not a documentary about pro wrestling, but instead a documentary about humanity. 11 out of 10 stars.

Hit-man Hart :Wrestling With Shadows Yes I have seen it- amazing look behind the curtain of Pro Wrestling- Hit-man Hart Wrestling With Shadows- the thing is Bret immersed himself into his wrestling character and lost his objectivity- so when he was supposed to do the honors and give over the belt he did not- sure Vince lied to him- but given the voliatility of the times(the women's champ had gone over to WCW and threw the WWF belt into the trash,WCW & WWF were in a war,etc.) Vince made the only decision he could make for his family business.The thing was filmed before Owen's death. The Hart Foundation, a WWF stable in 1997 has been cursed- The British Bulldog,Owen Hart and Brian Pillman have all passed away and Bret is now retired due to reoccurring concusions...also seek out the excellent Bret Hart 3 DVD comp from the WWE

Vince didn't need to screw Bret Hart over. Bret had been loyal to the company for a great time over a decade. But Vince was still afraid that Bret might do something. So Vince took drastic measures. Shawn Michaels, that lying-conniving piece of trash was in on it. He had the audacity to lie to Bret's face right after the match. Bret wasn't gonna do anything to deface the world title. He simply wanted to retain the title in his native country in front of his fans. After that, he would make one more appearance on Raw the next night and drop the belt and leave the WWE forever. But alas, that was not to be. HBK put Hitman Hart in the sharpshooter, Vince quickly waved for the bell to be rang(Hart hadn't even tapped out, and he wasn't going to, the plan was for Hart to reverse the hold and eventually win the match)and the most infamous moment in WWE history was made. Damn Vince, damn him to hell. Damn Shawn Michaels to hell. That's my take on the whole incident. As for the documentary. I say it's fantastic and it desereved all of the awards and acclaim that it received. Bret"Hitman"Hart will go down as the greatest wrestler of all-time. He's the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.