Directed by:
Oliver StoneCinematography:
Salvatore TotinoComposer:
Richard HorowitzCast:
Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, Dennis Quaid, Jaime Bergman, James Woods, Jamie Foxx, LL Cool J, Matthew Modine, Jim Brown, Lawrence Taylor, Bill Bellamy (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
When a devastating hit knocks a professional football legend and quarterback Cap Rooney (Denis Quaid) out of the game, a young, unknown third-stringer is called in to replace him. Having ridden the bench for years because of a string of bad luck stories and perhaps insufficient character, Willie Beaman (Jamie Foxx) seizes what may be his last chance, and lights up the field with a raw display of athletic prowess. His stunning performance over several games is so outstanding and fresh it seems to augur a new era in the history of this Miami franchise, and forces aging coach Tony D'Amato (Al Pacino) to reevaluate his time-tested values and strategies and begin to confront the fact that the game, as well as post-modern life may be passing him by. Adding to the pressure on D'Amato to win at any cost is the aggressive young President/Co-owner of the team, Christina Pagniacci (Cameron Diaz), now coming into her own after her father's death. Christina's driving desire to prove herself in a male dominated world is intensified by her focus on the marketing and business of football, in which all coaches and players are merely properties. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (7)
This is the best sports film I’ve ever seen. It has a riveting pace, one quick shot followed by another, Stone almost doesn't let the viewer breathe, helped by a wonderful soundtrack. Al Pacino gives an acting tour de force, as we are used to him. Who surprised me, however, was Cameron Diaz, who is not far behind him, and also the lesser-known black actor Jamie Foxx, who received praise from Al Pacino himself. Stone splurges on directorial ideas, for example, in one scene he composes shots from Ben Hur into the picture, it's crazy, but it works. It’s hard to describe it with words, you have to see it. I tried the DVD option of watching the film without any sounds, with only the soundtrack, and believe me, it was still a ride.
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Even though the story is actually incredibly simple and the whole thing is presented like a classic sports movie, where you have to go from losses to victories, Oliver Stone directed the film in such a way that it just grips you. In the end, I was just tensely watching how it would all turn out, even though it was clear, and it's precisely for this ability to grip you that I give it the rating I do.
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The first half hour can be classified among the strongest film moments I have ever seen. The grandiosely shot match, combined with the intense music and fantastic direction by Oliver Stone, grabs you in a way that is unprecedented. When you add a great screenplay, perfect action camera work, and brutally edited match scenes where mud and blood splatter onto the camera, you get one of the biggest hits of the season with not only captivating visuals but also a strong message if you know to read between the lines.
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I don’t know the rules of American football, I don’t watch it and I don’t support any club, but this movie has a magic about it. Stone obviously had fun making this, because he serves us up one director’s delicacy after another. Additionally, the action is excellently filmed and the dialogs are so powerful that electrons were jumping out of the screen at me. Also, Al Pacino gives one of his best performances and his stirring speech for the final game is one of his most unforgettable. + Cameron Diaz plays the perfect bitch. + A great soundtrack, mixed excellently to fit the movie.
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I don't know anything about American football, but this movie really got me. I don't know how Oliver Stone managed to cram such a quality cast into one film. The script is also great, although it's not about American football per se, but rather the rottenness in the background. And the game sequences are some of the best action scenes I've ever seen.
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