Monday 10 January 2011

North Dallas Forty (1979)

****
Apparently this film is loosely based on the Dallas Cowboys team of the early 70's. It mainly focuses on one man Phiilip Elliott played by Nick Nolte, but it's basically about life as a professional football star at that time.

"They pay you and they pay you well. On one condition. You play the game their way, even if you're forced to break every bone in your body."

I'm a huge fan of American football and football films in general. Some of my favourite and most watched films happen to be classics like; The Mean Machine, Friday Night Lights, Best of Times and All the Right Moves, and this is no different to any of those movies except it shares a little more in common with the film Slapshot than anything else.
As this movie is more of a character study centred around Nick Nolte's character Elliott, and as the plot above suggests, this film is more about the experience and life of a pro football player and less about the game itself. We really get an insight into the lame ass repetitive post match parties that these guys attend each week, and also the training methods of the ungrateful and thankless coaches.

I thought it was a brilliant film and i'll definitely add it to my list of favourite sports movies when suggesting to friends and fellow movie lovers. Nolte plays a great part and the ending was terrific, and I do mean that moment before the credits too.

Makes me wish I could grow a moustache too.

"You had better learn how to play the game, and I don't mean just the game of football."

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