The Steel Cage

Bell talks about how disillusioned he became when he discovered that so many of his larger than life childhood heroes, including Hogan, took shortcuts to gain their chiseled physiques. Like his two brothers, Bell was always involved in athletics and weight lifting, but he was uneasy about using steroids, which he felt, was tantamount to cheating.

However, his two brothers were not dissuaded, and have used steroids for years to get ahead in competitive bodybuilding, small time independent wrestling, and just get to get noticed walking down the street.

The movie avoids coming down on one side of the debate on whether steroids or right or wrong, and rather lay out various thought provoking viewpoints on the issue, including from an HIV positive man for whom steroids was a miracle drug, and from the father of a high school baseball player who committed suicide after experimenting with steroids. The film also includes viewpoints from researchers who appeared very educated on the subject, and members of Congress who did not – despite all the rhetoric they spew at Capitol Hill hearings on the subject.

As a journalist, I really appreciated all the reporting that Bell put into putting the film together, and the various angles he took on the matter – including interviewing musicians who take Beta blockers to perform better at auditions and fighter pilots who take uppers to stay alert in the skies. Is there something wrong with what they’re doing? Is it any different than what pro athletes are accused of doing?

Wisely, Bell poses those questions, but leaves them to the viewer to answer for himself. Personally, I did come away from the movie feeling far more educated on the subject than I did when I went in. After watching the film, I was swayed that a lot of the health risks often associated with steroid use have been exaggerated over the years by people ignorant to the truth about the drugs and/or with hidden agendas.

But that is not to say that anabolic steroids aren’t risky. But, then, so are most things when done in excess. The problem is, in professional sports, the line between use and abuse is bound to be crossed time and again as athletes try to gain a competitive edge to earn more money, fame, and victories.

While I left the movie convinced that there is a relatively safe use for steroids, I also left it convinced that there is something clearly wrong with using them to gain an advantage in sports. Even Bell’s brothers, who defended the benefits of steroids on camera, could never bring themselves to tell their mother that they used them.

Wrestling fans will get a kick out of the footage of 1980’s WWF matches, including Hogan’s 1984 championship victory over the Iron Sheik and the infamous “Twin Hebners” angle from 1988. There’s also footage of Bell’s brother doing jobs in the mid-1990’s in the WWF, including against the Undertaker.

Whether you’re interested in getting educated on the topic of steroids, or just looking to be entertained for a couple hours, “Bigger, Stronger, Faster*” is well worth the price of admission – that is if you happen to live anywhere near the handful of theaters screening the movie throughout the country.