The football equivalent of Wall Street

Rating: 8/10 (22 December 1999)

I've never been a huge fan of Oliver Stone. His movies tend to be too long, too chaotic, and, frankly, too preachy to sit through. However, he finally found his first subject since Wall Street that he can both sink his teeth into as well as turn into a cinematic treat. This is an epic film, focusing on the gridiron from all angles - coaches, players, sportswriters, owners, doctors, promoters, and sponsors - and it succeeds. The acting by all involved is superlative, as is the football cinematography. The only complaints I have are that he gets a little carried away with the montage style he's made such questionable use of in the nineties and the little-too-neat ending, although the post script footage during the credits is wonderful. Keep your eyes open for the cameos, odds are you'll miss a few if you don't.