one of the top 5 football films of all time!

jaxson

and probably my favorite one!  written by pete gent, a former dallas cowboy in the 60's, it gives a great look inside the mentality of professional football ... especially in dallas during the landry years. i enjoyed this film because i played ball at the college level in the early 70's, and i feel it's the most realistic portrayal of the emotional seesaw that a football player goes through.

the film shows what happens in a society where professional athletes are idolized, and the things they can get away with ... but at a cost!  it portrays how the professional athlete must constantly look for new ways to achieve a "high", whether on the field, with drugs, sexually, or just by "cutting loose".  the problem is that each high gives way to when you either make a mistake on the field, or come down from the "off-the-field" high.

if you were a football fan in the 60's-70's, you can just see the dallas cowboys in this film!  mac davis does a wonderful characterization of don merideth, and g.d. spradlin's coach just reeks of tom landry.  and nolte does a magnificent job in one of his earliest works.

please, take some time and watch this film.  the videotape version is obviously much better than the tv version ... you lose a lot of the reality otherwise.  please, if the first-run shelf is empty, take the time to check out this film.  you won't be disappointed.

score 9/10

jaxson 30 January 1999

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw0169708/