Bang the Drum Slowly

Low-key but moving performances from Michael Moriarty as an ace pitcher and Robert De Niro as the second-rate catcher dying of Hodgkin's disease whom Moriarty befriends make this 1973 baseball drama a solid base hit. Director John Hancock eschews much in the way of style to keep the focus on his actors, including Danny Aiello (in his film debut) as a fellow teammate and Vincent Gardenia as the team manager. Based on Mark Harris's novel of the same name, Bang the Drum Slowly serves up enough humorous, well-observed banter to offset the fact that the lead characters seem a little undeveloped. Still, while the disc strikes out with its lack of extras, the picture and sound qualities on this subtle tearjerker are fine. Recommended. (T. Rich)