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

0:10 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

0:46 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?

1:43 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.

2:43 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.

4:03 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.

5:23 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?

6:28 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.

7:27 Don't you touch my keys? Oh? I think the love is going on in our relationship, Adured,

7:40 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.

8:39 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.

9:39 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.

10:41 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.

11:37 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.

12:31 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.

13:15 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.

13:39 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.

14:43 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.

15:34 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.

16:10 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.

17:08 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.

18:52 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,

21:03 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