Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows (1998) on Netflix
R19981h 33mBiographyDocumentarySport
Bret Hart is the World Wrestling Federation's loyal champion. A rival promotion offers him a contract while the company asks him to play a villain. His final match is set in Montreal.
- Netflix3.9/5
- IMDb8.0/104,683 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes89%
Trailer
Plot summary
In 1997 the World Wrestling Federation is caught in a ratings war with Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling. Bret Hart, its reigning champion, has spent years as the company's most loyal hero. A lucrative offer comes from WCW, and at the same time WWF management presses him to drop his good-guy image for an arrogant persona that insults fans, a shift embodied by his rival Steve Austin. Hart looks on owner Vince McMahon as a teacher and a fatherly guide, and he hesitates to walk away while the company is losing ground. When McMahon takes back a promised twenty-year contract, Hart's exit becomes certain and his last bout is arranged against Shawn Michaels in Montreal. A documentary crew films him through the year.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows (1998)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Director Paul Jay said Vince McMahon refused the stock footage and wrestler likeness waivers his contract promised after the Montreal fallout, so WCW offered the filmmakers the estimated $750,000 cost of the lawsuit, a pay-per-view deal and long-term Turner network distribution.
- Paul Jay said he was told he had a "slam-dunk" lawsuit against Vince McMahon, but that fighting it would take three to four years in court and even a win meant there would be no film, so he dropped the case to finish the documentary.
- Director Paul Jay said Vince McMahon used his reputation to kill some of the film's distribution deals in the United States and overseas.
Stills
Similar movies
