Oliver Stone kills football

Rating: 3/10 (26 September 2005)

The topic was timely, and based on the material is was written from, it could of been something. Alas, Oliver Stone turns in his worst performance as a director with this muddled, melodramatic, and sometimes, unintentionally funny movie. The Game action is poorly staged, and seemingly painfully obvious, down to the rip off of John Elway's dramatic super bowl scoring run. There's really no life to this movie, as even the actors understand that they are in a high budgeted Lifetime Movie of the Week. Dennis Quaid lacks the personal of a grizzled veteran Quartback. Al Pacino looks completely bored as the Head Coach. Lawrence Taylor, working from Life experience, gives the best performance of the film, with the key scene being his speech to Jamie Foxx in the sauna room. His words are the most important in the film, and should be adhered by all the dreamer out there who fear reality. James Woods is unredeemable evil, and way too over the top for his character is truly exist. I spent my time more or less, looking at my watch, wondering when the film, which greatly overstays its welcome, would finally end. If you want a truly, gritty look at the darkside of Pro Football, rent North Dallas Forty. Granted, the film is 26 years old, but is more on target then the modern On Any Given Sunday. And way more realistic. Any Given Sunday is a sad waste of what could have been, but sadly, wasn't.