Victor tells the life story and tragic death of Victor Davis, Canadian swimming champion who set all kinds of records in the breaststroke and also fought a lot of health issues in his career as a swimmer. Those health issues also included mental health issues because he had one ungovernable temper that got the better of him.
Mark Lutz who is also something of an athlete as well as an actor has that dual persona serve him well in portraying Davis. Davis sustained so many setbacks physically, mononucleosis, spina bifida, an enlarged spleen the wonder was that he was able to have a career at all.
Davis also could not control himself when things went wrong. A highly specious decision about disqualifying the Canadian relay team in 1982 sent him on a rampage. What probably would be a highlight reel like George Brett coming out of the dugout to rearrange Billy Martin's skull after the pine tar incident doesn't go over in amateur sports especially when Queen Elizabeth is in attendance. She was after Queen of Canada too. There's a different mindset in Canada about these incidents except on the professional hockey rink. That's where Canadian fans can get into it as rough as the players. But swimming is an amateur sport and there are different rules to play by.
The tragic death of Davis got to me because years ago in my working life at New York State Crime Victims Board I did a case where someone was run down in a car as Davis was. To say that justice was not done in the Davis situation would be outrageously understated. My victim survived it, but could easily have died as Victor Davis did. His perpetrator got a slap on the wrist, considerably less than the four months of jail time that Victor Davis's killer got. The whole thing doesn't speak highly of the Montreal PD.
Standing out in the supporting cast are Polly Shannon as Victor's girl friend and Peter MacNeill as his father. Victor is a nice tribute to a genuine Canadian hero and sports legend.
Mark Lutz who is also something of an athlete as well as an actor has that dual persona serve him well in portraying Davis. Davis sustained so many setbacks physically, mononucleosis, spina bifida, an enlarged spleen the wonder was that he was able to have a career at all.
Davis also could not control himself when things went wrong. A highly specious decision about disqualifying the Canadian relay team in 1982 sent him on a rampage. What probably would be a highlight reel like George Brett coming out of the dugout to rearrange Billy Martin's skull after the pine tar incident doesn't go over in amateur sports especially when Queen Elizabeth is in attendance. She was after Queen of Canada too. There's a different mindset in Canada about these incidents except on the professional hockey rink. That's where Canadian fans can get into it as rough as the players. But swimming is an amateur sport and there are different rules to play by.
The tragic death of Davis got to me because years ago in my working life at New York State Crime Victims Board I did a case where someone was run down in a car as Davis was. To say that justice was not done in the Davis situation would be outrageously understated. My victim survived it, but could easily have died as Victor Davis did. His perpetrator got a slap on the wrist, considerably less than the four months of jail time that Victor Davis's killer got. The whole thing doesn't speak highly of the Montreal PD.
Standing out in the supporting cast are Polly Shannon as Victor's girl friend and Peter MacNeill as his father. Victor is a nice tribute to a genuine Canadian hero and sports legend.
