Buck Weaver and Hap Felsch are young idealistic players on the Chicago White Sox, a pennant-winning team owned by Charles Comiskey - a penny-pinching, hands-on manager who underpays his players and treats them with disdain. And when gamblers and hustlers discover that Comiskey's demoralized players are ripe for a money-making scheme, one by one the team members agree to throw the World Series. But when the White Sox are defeated, a couple of sports writers smell a fix and a national scandal explodes, ripping the cover off America's favorite pastime.
Acting
John Cusack's wounded integrity as the one who said no.
Writing
Sayles' script treats the fix as tragedy, not scandal.
Production
Shot at the actual 1919 stadium — ghosts included, probably.
Director
John Sayles
John Cusack
Buck Weaver
Clifton James
Charles Comiskey
Michael Lerner
Arnold Rothstein
Christopher Lloyd
Bill Burns
John Mahoney
Kid Gleason
Charlie Sheen
Hap Felsch
David Strathairn
Eddie Cicotte
D. B. Sweeney
'Shoeless' Joe Jackson
Don Harvey
Swede Risberg
Michael Rooker
Chick Gandil
Perry Lang
Fred McMullin
James Read
Lefty Williams
Jace Alexander
Dickie Kerr
Gordon Clapp
Ray Schalk
Richard Edson
Billy Maharg
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Sayles cast actual minor leaguers as players — their swings look real because they are. No Hollywood 'throw like a girl' energy here.
The film subtly mirrors 1980s labor battles: Comiskey's exploitation echoes Reagan-era union-busting, making this less period piece than warning.
US
