Review of Any Given Sunday (1999) by Dustin G — 21 Aug 2008

Oliver Stone is one of those few director's where you can tell who directed the film just by watching it. An Oliver Stone film is always a visceral viewing experiance and this is an emotionally exhausting picture. I mean that in a good way though. I'm not a fan of pro football, don't know much about the game and couldn't care less about it either, but watching this film, if football was portrayed on television the way Stone portrays it here, I'd watch it every Sunday. I've never seen a football movie that takes you so close to the action and presents in such a brutal way that your skin tingles with every filmed hit.

Alot of good performaces by a great cast who all do fairly well keeping up with where Pacino sets the acting bar with every performance he puts in. I don't know how realistic the plays are or the on-field action is, and being from Canada I've never had the opporitunity to go to too many NFL games, but this movie presents football and a cast of characters who inhabit it in a fascinating and exciting way. Best football movie out there. And best sports movie, after Space Jam (just kidding).