As football season comes to an end, except for the two contenders for the super bowl. I thought of what better way to recommend a football film in case your missing football or wanting to give XFL or USFL a chance. North Dallas Forty is a film that takes a good look into professional football players in the seventies that sacrifice their body and ability and yet has no appreciation by the owners and coaches. Staring young Nick Nolte in the best performance I have ever seen. The film is based on a semi-autobiographical by former football player Peter Gent who just so happen to play football with the Dallas Cowboys, though was an overshadowed player. A side from Rudy which is a great film I have to say that North Dallas Forty is one of the best football films ever.
A brutal satire of American professional football in which a veteran pass-catchers individually and refusal to become part of the team "family" is bitterly resented by his disciplinarian coaches. The National Football League refused to help in the production of this movie, suggesting it may have been too near the truth for comfort. From the novel by former NFL player Peter Gent.
The best way to describe Peter Gent was really Nick Nolte's character even though he the character is based on Gent. Gent never played a down in College, but the Dallas Cowboys were impressed by his athleticism and offered him a tryout, though the coaches looked at him and knew that his best chances into making the team was to have him play wide receiver and fortunately Gent made the team and turned down a contract offer from the NBA team at the time Baltimore Bullets, though Gent had an impressive football career he only played around four years with the Cowboys, but made a great friendship with the first Dallas Cowboy QB Don Meredith. And as fate would have its Gent left football for good and wrote his first book that made a name for him based on his time playing for Dallas. The thing that makes the movie so great to watch than other football films, is that you feel for these players and it isn't just Nolte's character you feel for all of the players on the team and that's what I look for when it comes to a football film, furthermore the movie itself isn't like Friday Night Lights where Hollywood lies you to you about what really happens or Varsity Blues where you only need to watch it once because it gets so dull. However, when it comes to North Dallas Forty, I feel like this is a football film that I can watch it repeatedly moreover it does not get old once I watch it. The other thing in what makes the film amazing to watch is the main issues when it comes to professional football as a whole, sure football now is different since salaries and better equipment are up to date, but when it was in its early years or better term silver age years, the equipment that the players where using were not reliable in keeping them safe especially when the helmets had no padding and you could still have a broken noise when coming onto the field and the thing I like about the film is Nolte's face mask has less protection in terms of his face and the opening scene you see him with a bloody noise. Nick Nolte is the real reason why I am a big fan of the movie, he does a fantastic job playing a rebellious, veteran football player that knows he is broken down on the inside but does not want to believe that his football career is over and is a down to earth guy who falls in love with Dayle Haddon's character. Moreover, though the course of the film every one of the football players are crazy but Nolte's the only guy that realizes how unappreciative the league is especially when they force painkillers down the players throats, and it takes Nolte through the entire film to realize that is time in football is coming to an end, so deep down Nolte did a fantastic job carrying this film on his back and giving the respect it deserves. Another actor I have to give complements is David Lautrec who plays the rookie in the movie who becomes naïve through the course of the film, and yes every actor does a great job but Lautrec's performance in the film was really believable in not wanting to use any drugs but is pressured by his own coaches into taking them even if it means severely hurting himself and he does a great job at playing a naïve rookie and does it really well, and deserves credit especially since I couldn't find him at all in terms of research. Rudy of course is an amazing football movie about a die-hard fan dreaming to play Notre Dame football in which every football fan dreams of wanting to do that in life despite the lack of ability, North Dallas Forty really shows the harshest tones when it comes to playing football at a professional level and both films are exceptionally great I would most certainly rank both films in the top two spots of the greatest football films ever made. Sadly, this film feels like it is a forgotten film that you had no idea existed and it really needs to be seen by every fan of Football to be understood as a film that takes a hard look of what it is like to play football in the early seventies, upon which the book and film was released at that time. If the XFL or USFL is not your cup of tea than I would highly recommend watching North Dallas Forty for many and obviously reasons I consider this as one of the greatest football films ever made by human hands, even though Rudy is another exceptional film so in all honesty they are both great films.
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