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Bang The Drum Slowly (1973)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 7.4/10
Reviews Counted: 25
Fresh: 22 | Rotten: 3

Bang the Drum Slowly is a touching melodrama that explores the inner workings of a baseball club and its players' personalities with remarkable depth.

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Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 3
Fresh: 3 | Rotten: 0

Bang the Drum Slowly is a touching melodrama that explores the inner workings of a baseball club and its players' personalities with remarkable depth.

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Average Rating: 3.4/5
User Ratings: 3,363

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Movie Info

A guaranteed tear-jerker, Bang the Drum Slowly centers on professional baseball player Bruce Pearson (Robert DeNiro) and his team mate Henry Wiggen (Michael Moriarty), who supported Bruce to the bitter end after learning that the young catcher was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease and would soon die. When hayseed Pearson first joined the team, he and Wiggen, the team's red-hot pitcher were oil and water. The other team members were none to thrilled to have Pearson on their team. Wiggen changes

PG, 1 hr. 36 min.

Drama, Sports & Fitness, Classics

Directed By: John D. Hancock

Written By: Mark Harris

In Theaters: Aug 26, 1973 Wide

On DVD: Mar 4, 2003

Cast

Robert De Niro
Bruce Pearson
Michael Moriarty
Henry Wiggen
Vincent Gardenia
Dutch Schnell
Phil Foster
Joe Jaros
Ann Wedgeworth
Katie
Heather MacRae
Holly Wiggen
Danny Aiello
Horse
Barbara Babcock
Team Owner
Donny Burks
Perry
Selma Diamond
Tootsie
Marshall Erwin Efron
Bradley Lord
Hector Elias
Diego
Ernesto Gonzalez
Dr. Chambers
Barton Heyman
Red Traphagen
Tom Ligon
Piney Woods
Alan Manson
Doc Loftus
Pierrino Mascarino
Sid Goldman
Patrick McVey
Pearson's Father
Tom Signorelli
Goose Williams
Nicholas Surovy
Aleck Olson
Maurice Rosenfield
Team Owner
Jack Hollander
Legwar Player
Andrew Jarrell
Ugly Jones
Tony Major
Jonah
Hector Troy
George

Critic Reviews for Bang The Drum Slowly

All Critics (25) | Top Critics (3) | Fresh (22) | Rotten (3) | DVD (3)

A funny, gentle and honestly sentimental movie that is easily one of the best of the year in any category, and very possibly the best movie about sport ever made in this country.

August 3, 2008 Full Review Source: TIME Magazine

| Comment

Richard Schickel

TIME Magazine

Top Critic

Never before has a movie considered the game from the inside out.

October 23, 2004 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times

| Comment

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Top Critic

It is one of those rare instances in which close adaptation of a good book has resulted in possibly an even better movie.

May 21, 2003 Full Review Source: New York Times

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Roger Greenspun

New York Times

Top Critic

This sports melodrama about a dying athlete is sentimental and predictable, but it's also very well acted by the young De Niro, Vincente Gardenia and Michael Moriarty.

March 3, 2011 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

Talky, leisurely, and poetic baseball drama.

September 23, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media

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Charles Cassady

Common Sense Media

It was first filmed for television, where it seems best suited as a 'disease of the week' movie.

September 16, 2007 Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews

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Dennis Schwartz

Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Mention this flick to any guy over 40 and watch him get all weepy.

March 21, 2007 Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com

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Scott Weinberg

eFilmCritic.com

A well-done if depressing film.

March 14, 2007 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide

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TV Guide's Movie Guide

It's a good film, avoiding all the obvious goop and the 'big game' clich� at the climax.

May 26, 2006 Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid

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Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

Unfortunately, no real relationships are ever developed in this film, so, even with Robert DeNiro playing the lead, something always seems to be lacking.

July 5, 2005 Full Review Source: Bullz-Eye.com

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Mike Barkacs

Bullz-Eye.com

Low key character study of baseball player dying; De Niro, Moriarty are fine.

June 11, 2005 Comment

Steve Crum

Video-Reviewmaster.com

Finally, a baseball melodrama with a full count of emotional impact. Hancock's narrative delivers the right pitch of intensity

June 24, 2004 Comment

Frank Ochieng

TheWorldJournal.com

A great baseball movie and a touching buddy film with De Niro showing the talent that has made him one of our best actors. Moriarity gives a fine performance as his star-pitcher friend.

January 7, 2004 Comment

Bob Bloom

Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)

You don't have to understand baseball to appreciate this one, which is probably just as well.

May 24, 2003 Full Review Source: Film4

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Film4

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Audience Reviews for Bang The Drum Slowly

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The most boring baseball movie I've ever seen, and I like baseball, but I couldn't get into this movie. The plot is predictable, and the characters aren't interesting.

September 5, 2010

AJ Verser

Super Reviewer

It's a slow-paced little movie about ball players, and one happens to be dying of an incurable disease. It doesn't jump off the screen and captivate viewers, but only because the writing is so pedestrian. DeNiro's performance isn't particularily noticeable, but that's only because of how low-key it is. In fact, all

April 16, 2009