Matt Connarton Unleashed: Erich Pilcher reviews The Longest Yard (1974).

Burt Reynolds, the electricity that turns on the most outrageous team in football.

The mean machine, supercharged and power driven to the longest yard. Bert Reynolds,

the quarterback who will tackle anything driver's license. Look when we got in

a minute your cor the superstars, I feel so good for me. Suck

the All American, the all Amazing, A joker of a jock who laughed

all the way to prison. Paul Crew a wrecking pro. Anybody who is

Pro Football's most valuable players. Got something special to do. It's standing up.

Let's vote with a hero so special he gets special treatment. They'll put

you in the other rise and shine. It's room service. How do you

like the battles? Super Star Shavid points off of a football game in that's

an American team. Get you twenty four hours then hot box board. I

quit My god, God, what the hell is that? That's a member

of the Warden football team. And I run a football team? What football

team? My football team? He assembled the meanest, dirtiest team in history.

Uh, we're getting up a football game against the guards for guards.

Yeah, I want to play. I'm gonna play football. And taught them

how to be meaner the one thing that you're gonna have to remember is to

protect your quarterback and Dirtier. I think he broke it, Nick, I

think he broke I told you before this game is over. I want every

prisoner in this institution to know what I mean by bar and who controls it.

The prison guards against the prisoners. They guarded the game that broke all

the rules, all the records, all the bones, the most incredible ever

played on the field and off. You're going to lose the game, and

I want a twenty one point spread. You've come too far together to stop.

Now, let's do it. From the producer of The Godfather, from

the director of The Dirty Dozen, from the first second to the last,

the Mean Machine visa Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert in the Wildest yet the Longest

Yard, I feel that it is safe to say that American football has overtaken

base ball as this country's national pastime. Starting this weekend, young men dreaming

a future glory play high school football on Friday nights. Those that are lucky

venture on to play college football on Saturdays. In the gifted few move on

to playing professionally on Sundays. This game requires dedication and focus. Each game

is a battle. In some instances, the consequences mean more than wins and

losses, as is the case with this week's film. Released in nineteen seventy

four, directed by the esteemed Robert Aldridge and starring Burt Reynolds, The Longest

Yard introduces us to disgraced former NFL quarterback Paul Wrecking Crew played by Reynolds,

a man who, due a drunken stealing his girlfriend's car and leading police on

a wild, reckless chase, is sentenced to eighteen months in a prison in

the football craze state of Florida, where the guards play on a powerhouse semi

protein in the Warden is willing to do anything to win a national title.

A great place to start would be to introduce us to Crew, a man

that, at the beginning of this film leads on the surface a charmed existence.

He is a kept man by his beautiful, enriched girlfriend. Looks can

be deceiving, though, as we hear in the way, Crew speaks that

he does not enjoy this life and wants something more. Plus, we will

hear the fight that leads to his prison sentence for stealing her Maserati we baby

con you know it would be good, Nor that son of a Where the

hell do you think you're going? Splitting? Splitting you split what I tell

you to split? You all American son of a lovely lovely? And when

you walk out, stay out. You're too expensive to be useless. That's

exactly what you are. I never looked at before. Everybody's bought you college

is the pros, your gamblers. Who do you think bought those beautiful little

caps on your teeth? In the clothes that you're wearing, and the bloody

tan that you've got me. If I ever neglected to thank you, Melissa,

you husband, If I took everything back and I ever gave you you

stay away from my you'd be brass naked. Don't you touch my keys?

Oh? I think the love is going on in our relationship, Adured,

Don't you take my Maseratti, I earned it. I told you not to

touch my horror. I feel. What may audiences love this film so much

is that we become so emotionally vested in the characters. When Crew eventually accepts

the task of building a team of inmates to compete in a game against the

guards. These individuals from various walks of life, races, and various crimes

come together to become a team that the audience actually begins to root for,

like they're actually watching a football game. That's the magic of this film.

The ruthless criminals even become likable and lovable. That is in large part through

the charm of Crew and the evil ruthlessness of the Guards. Our next scene

is the beginning of the inmates coming together. Crew goes to various sendmates to

recruit them for his team. And just listen to the differences in each inmate,

and you can tell how vastly different each one is. I'd like to

play some football. Shoo, yeah, would you like that? To cock

guards? Would you like that? Wouldn't you? Sonny report to the practice

fail up tomorrow morning, nine o'clock. What's his name? Indian? That

makes sense? Now, don't do any ethnic jokes and in its Paul Crew,

But Hi, I know you play some football A little bit a good

where Okahoma State? Olkhoma State? You prison? Yeah? Well, first

thing we gotta do is get your transferred out of here and on the football

steal how now, well we're coming. I'm pretty heavy. Who about four

hundred parents? Pretty heavy? George Sampson, Granada, mister Florida nineteen sixty

four. Uh, ball crew, you know Florida. Yeah, yeah,

yeah, they got tough cops here, small but tough. Uh. We're

getting up a football game against the Guards. Wanted if maybe you and some

of your buddies here would like to join in on the fund with the Guards.

Uh huh sure, I'd like that. Sign him up. I'm way

ahead of you. See around, look forward to it, Sam Summer.

In order for a sports film to be great and have the viewer become emotionally

vested, as I have spoken about earlier, there needs to be a quote

unquote heavy or someone that oppresses the underdogs. In this film, it is

the face of authority, Warden Rudolph Hazen, played by Eddie Albert of green

Acre's fame. In our final clip, we hear what makes the warden the

epitome of evil in this film. He blackmail's crew to throw the game and

then goes back on his promise to crew and tells the quarterback of the Guards,

Captain Kannaur, to hurt the inmates once they are up by twenty one

one. Really, of note here is the evil callousness that is beautifully conveyed

by Albert along with his power hungry egomaniahal attitude, Because what the hell do

you think you're doing? Were you want in the game, you got one.

I never said anything about winning, never said anything about losing it.

I'll spell it out for you. We've got hunger and custody. He's confessed

a killing caretaker. He said, you knew all about it, but you

didn't notify Captain Knaar, and that makes you and accents so ring. You're

full of crap. Mister Krue. You sent caretaker to that cell. You

are an accessory to murder. You can be looking at twenty years in contro.

There's no way in the world you can make that stick and corner.

No which the crude. You could be in this institution until you are old

and gray or until you're dead, whichever comes first. I can promise you

that you're gonna lose the game, and I want a twenty one point sprint.

I can't do that, of course you can't. You've done it before.

If I give you the twenty one points, you call the dogs the

dogs. If you got the game in the bag, you tell your guys

to coast. I wanted my men. Ut you have my word. Once

we get to twenty one points, you know, there's only one thing I'm

sorry about. What's that? Crewe you're not out there with us knock at

Heggs. I'm afraid I'm a little too old for that. No, you

never had the guests to begin with. You've just been guaranteed a twenty one

point spread. What because of your marvelous performance. I was forced to make

a deal with mister crue Now the second half, we can beat this thing.

I'm not interested in discussing what you think might happen in the second half.

You lose, I told you with mister cruel, who as I told

him, it's uh No. When you and your mental midgets twenty one points

ahead, I want you to inflict as much painful damage on the prisoners is

as humanly possible, so you understand. Before this game is over, I

want every prisoner in this institution to know what I mean by power and who

controls it. We understand each other. Listen. This film does do an

excellent job of characterizing the game of football. In my opinion, where it

excels is it uses football as a way for these inmates to gain some pride

back, to stand up against their violent oppressors and work with individuals they might

have never felt they would work with, all for a chance, not just

a gridiron glory, but for one day to stand tall in victory for those

that control them for days, weeks, months, years, and even lifetimes.

As for the film itself, it ranks highly on any meaningful top sports

films list. It's quotes are heard in football stadiums across the country by fans.

It is as relatable today as it was when it was released, And

in two thousand and five a remake was released that stars Adam Sandler that is

just as good in its own right, and in my opinion, a rarity

for remakes and just shows how truly classic, endearing, and amazing this film

truly is that it still stands the test of time. I hope you join

me next week when we begin our month long tribute to the father of the

zombie, George A. Romero with his nineteen seventy two apocalyptic sci fi film

The Crazies. For W M. N. H. In Matt Connerton Unleash,

this has been a classic film. If you with Eric Filterer two beats

come weeping like a black head due to bile and nigging ale the thing again

enough so it listen to the ship I love and as the last reason for

his trousers shooting full of f mister Saturday night to special got a barrow,

that's do They ain't good for nothing for the mass. They just been drinking

skin. They playing bot on a loose to night and burnison, oh star

thing or somethingbody But she didn't never lie to big gym on Minster fights.

I wouldn't tell you no lie bag gym on the full this pis don't shot

a spin rab between eyes, mister side of the night and swells up.

Got a barrel that's blue. They ain't good for not what the mass bet

on who side of the night, but for the dollar to buy yoursel It

would say all about I hang on some made for killer that ain't above another

as in intellectual treat for the skin in mighty on the shoot, so said,

why don't we don't blow people do the bottom of see all summer fool

going around here want to shoot into you miss a Saturday night spec shot You

got a barrel on the slue fool. You ain't good for nothing but bore

the mass to beat in a What's the Saturday Night Special? And I'd love

to be on it? Then s