Embraces the Clichés

Rating: 8/10 (30 August 2014)

It's Hard to Score with a Sports Movie. It is the Most Difficult of Genres. Realism is the Biggest Obstacle to Overcome. Audience Members who have Played the Sport will be on the Lookout for Cheating and a Lack of Verisimilitude. Fans of the Game will be Expecting the Kind of Rush that the Game on the Screen Gives Them Watching Real-Life Sporting Events.
It is Virtually Impossible to Have a Sports Movie that Avoids Clichés because in Reality the Thing that Makes Sports so Much Fun to Watch are Clichés (4th quarter, seconds left, 4th down, goal to go, down by 5......bottom of the 9th, bases loaded, 2 outs, 3 and 2 count, down by 3...and so on).
So How does Director Oliver Stone, a Filmmaker who Loves to do things that are Cutting Edge, Over the Top, and Different, Deal with All of that? He doesn't, that's what He does. The Always Controversial Curmudgeon, Stone Decides to Embrace the Clichés, Wallow in them, Celebrate the Clichés, Putting it All there for All to See, and He says See, "That is Football".
It's No Mistake, that Quote is from the Director Himself, Playing a TV Announcer. As the Commentator He Also Includes a Nod to Sports Aphorisms, "Here's where the proverbial rubber meets the proverbial road".
This is a Sports Movie that is an Oliver Stone Movie that is High Entertainment, Amped Up, OK, Performance Enhanced (couldn't resist), and In Your Face just like the Game of Football. With the Advent of Cameras on Wires, and Cameras in Blimps, and Helmet Cameras, the Medium has Become the Message and the Director is, No Doubt a Fan of Football (and Marshall Mcluhan).
The Cast is Superb and the Sport of Football in the Movie is Played by Real Football Players, or at Least Actors who have Athletic Ability. Recommended for Football Fans, and the Parallels Between the Game Itself and the Movie Game Portrayed, Make for Good Teammates.