Flawed yet fascinating

Rating: 5/10 (16 April 2000)

Rating: *** out of ****
You'll certainly agree with me that Oliver Stone is one of the most audacious and unconventional directors of our time, if not the most, now that Kubrick has gone. He has done some jaw-dropping films as "JFK", unusual war movies as "Platoon" and something totally weird and mad as "Natural Born Killers". He is not the best director of our time, but it is quite difficult to forget one of his films because of their impact. "Any Given Sunday" is not different. It is a mad, fast, violent, strong, frenetic and crude look at the behind-the-scenes of American football.
First of all, let's get clear that I have a thing about sports: I really dislike them. What to say about American football, which is almost unknown here in Brazil? However, I liked "Any Given Sunday". It is a movie about sports. Every scene, almost every quote, even an arguing, was somehow related to football. It would be almost unwatchable for me if not directed by such a strong director as Oliver Stone. With an amazing film editing, amazing sound, amazing acting, it is one of the most interesting films of last year, and even fascinating, in a strange way. Stone has no mercy to show blood, violent plays, even a man who has lost an eye. It's a mad, mad camera-work.
However, the film has its flaws. The biggest one is the fact that it is long more than it should be. Some scenes are too long and could have been easily deleted. Another flaw is the non-existence of a real story. It's just football, arguing, violence, crude language. But, as I said, it's not an ordinary movie- and not for everyone.
With incredible performances by Cameron Diaz (in a very different character of the weird Lotte Schwartz) and Al Pacino, and another great Stone direction, "Any Given Sunday" is a worth seeing not only for football fans (did you have to be a fan of porn movies to watch "Boogie Nights?), but also for the ones who want to see a very good movie. It is like a ball thrown on your head- in the good sense, or in the bad sense... Whatever!