Any Given Sunday
is everything that a lot of people hate about American Football. It's long,
sometimes downright boring, and it's filled with loud-mouthed characters whose
over-the-top exuberance is often too much to bare. But just like a game of gridiron,
the movie saves itself in its finishing stages when all of the seemingly pointless events
of the past two hours come together for a conclusion that is exciting and very satisfying.
I love American Football, complete with its massive
egos and outrageous antics. On the surface the game can look like a circus where
anything goes and everyone is just trying to get their moment in the spotlight. This
may be true, but underneath it all is a game that is as intricate as any other known to
man, where strategy rules the roost and where inches can make the difference between
success and failure. It's a great game.
Oliver Stone has delivered a film the captures the very
heart of this game. In traditional Stone fashion, no punches are pulled as he takes
us into the inner-sanctum of the Miami Sharks, showing us the different characters that
form the very soul of the team and yet are the ones that threaten its very existence.
Everyone is in it for themselves, whether it be the greedy General Manager, the new
cocky quarterback or the old-fashioned coach who refuses to let go of the past and embrace
the future.
It's easy to see why the N.F.L, the major professional
football league in America, refused to give permission for their name or logos to be used
in this film. Professional footballers, indeed professional football itself, is not
portrayed in a positive fashion but you get the feeling that the real reason for the
N.F.L's refusal may be that the film cuts a little too close to the bone.
Now Stone is well-known for his tendency to over-exaggerate
a situation, often looking for a reason to ruffle some feathers for no apparent reason.
But it wouldn't be surprising to find out that the situations depicted in Any Given
Sunday mirror, almost perfectly, what goes on inside an N.F.L team. The film
portrays a certain realism and it is this fact that is Stone's greatest success with this
film.
Visually, the film is quite outstanding. The
scenes of the actual games are some of the best ever put on film; Stone takes us right
inside the huddle using quick cuts that switch between a T.V style broadcast and close-ups
of the on-field action that accentuates the intense, almost claustrophobic, atmosphere
down on the field.
The on-field activities are the highlight of this film,
at least visually, but the essence of the film is what is going on behind the scenes and,
unfortunately, the film doesn't quite go the full distance. In saying that however,
each of the characters are wonderfully explored to differing but effective degrees, and
you certainly get a feel of where each of the character's is coming from.
SPOILER: # Stone also manages to avoid the cliche' ending of the team winning the
"big game". They do win a playoff game but the game represents more of a
coming together of the characters rather than the team winning the ultimate prize.
It's a refreshing change (make sure to stay tuned as the final credits roll as
their is a final twist to the story that is in keeping with the back-stabbing nature of
professional football that the film presents). #
Fans of American Football should get a lot from this
film. It explores areas of the game that many don't often get to see, probably for a
good reason. Stone has delivered another fine piece of cinema that does not hit all
of its passes but in the end gets the game-winning score.
- Adam Matthews
