Play It to the Bone (1999) - Synopsis

Play It to the Bone (2000)

Cesar (Antonio Banderas) and Vince (Woody Harrelson) are professional boxers, sparring partners and best friends -- each clinging to a desperate hope that they will get one more "shot at the title" before their careers are over.

On the morning of yet another highly anticipated "Fight of the Century," (Mike Tyson vs. "Somebody"), the undercard fight (the semi-main event) suddenly become "indisposed." The fight promoters, Joe Domino (TOM SIZEMORE) and Hank Goody (ROBERT WAGNER), have a huge problem. They must find two other fighters who are licensed, experienced, recognizable and evenly matched in weight -- and they have to get them sanctioned and to Vegas by 6 p.m. tonight.

From his penthouse suite overlooking the Vegas Strip, Domino finds Vince and Cesar at a run-down gym in L.A. They make a deal: $50,000 each and a shot at the title for the winner. But they must get to Vegas immediately.

They approach Grace, Cesar's current girlfriend -- and Vince's ex-girlfriend for a ride. Grace has "good wheels"--a lime-green 1972 Olds 442 convertible. She is looking for a rich investor to sponsor one of her eccentric inventions.

The three drive toward Vegas together. On the way, we learn their backstories, their failed title shots, their hidden demons and hopes -- as they tease, argue, support and otherwise share intimacies with each other. They pick up Lia, a beautiful, sexy hitchhiker who adds her own wild energy to the mix.

After numerous side trips, they arrive in Vegas. Vince and Cesar get ready to fight, while Grace seeks out wealthy sponsors. In the ring, Vince and Cesar put on a war -- a bloody, ruthless, desperate attempt to kill each other, to salvage their own careers. Grace cheers on each fighter until even she can no longer watch. Afterward, Vince and Cesar, battered and bandaged, go to the roulette wheel where they begin losing their winnings.

At dawn, the three head back to Los Angeles. Redemption has touched the men something unrecognized and unacknowledged. The three friends are closer than ever as they sort out what happened in Vegas and their dream of a rematch.