North Dallas Forty

Starring: Nick Nolte, Mac Davis, Charles Durning, Dayle Haddon, Bo Svenson, John Matuszak, Steve Forrest, G.D. Spradlin, Dabney Coleman, Savannah Smith
Directed by: Ted Kotcheff
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Sport
1979

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Follows an American football team, their battles on the field and the pain and suffering off it.

Review:

Tim: I love football and it's pretty obvious I have an obsession with movies, so it makes sense that I would have seen a lot of football movies. I love watching movies about football. And in all the many films I've seen that focuses on America's true favorite sport, I've never seen anything like North Dallas Forty. Indeed, while watching this film, I was surprised more films haven't tackled the brutality of the game like this film does. Sure, aspects were addressed in films like Concussion, but not quite like this. This movie focuses on the players, but it's not an outright condemnation of the game. These modern day gladiators love the game, even as their bodies are breaking down because of it. It makes for a fascinating film.

I quite frankly marveled at this approach to a football movie. The opening scene sets the tone- Nick Nolte's character wakes up, in extreme pain. We see the stiffness, the agony as he tries to get his body moving again. Throughout the film, we see his character and others use alcohol and drugs (both legal and illegal) to help them cope with the pain. It's an aspect of the game of football that we're all aware exists, we just so rarely see it depicted in such gritty realism. It was sometimes hard to watch those scenes. I only ever played high school football, but I do remember the trailing pain and discomfort from game days. I can't imagine what professional football players experience, especially pro players in the 1970s. You kind of understand how one would start abusing drugs and alcohol to cope with the constant pain.

Now, while the brutality of the game and the impact on the players' bodies is a major focus of this film, it wisely doesn't make this its only focus. It's hard to watch those scenes, but football players' lives weren't only about the pain. We see moments in their personal lives, at parties, making connections with other human beings. We see their focus on the next game, on the ultimate goal of winning a championship. We see a little about the business side of football and how that can conflict with the personal side. This movie really does a good job of showing us behind-the-scenes. There's only a few actual football game scenes, but those are all quite well filmed and entertaining. I found the scenes of practices equally as intriguing. The whole film really does hold your attention.

Nick Nolte gives a strong performance in the lead role. He really hits the right notes with this character. His Phillip Elliott is talented, but cocky and mischievous. He's a thoroughly flawed character, but Nolte embraces those flaws and still manages to connect with the audience. We grow to care about his character, even when he does things we don't like. I found his character quite intriguing and the layers made him fascinating. It helps that Nolte gives a very physical performance- you can see he put his body on the line for this role. His performance is definitely the standout from the film. Mac Davis gave a strong performance, too. He felt like the prototypical 70s pro quarterback. He's not as good as Nolte, but he works well. I always enjoy seeing Charles Durning and he gives a great performance as one of the assistant coaches. He made his mark with a number of great moments throughout the film. Dayle Haddon was decent. I didn't love her performance, but she had some good scenes. G.D. Spradlin had some strong moments as well. As a whole, I wouldn't call this an "A" level cast, but everyone gave solid performances.

It's pretty amazing that the first time I watched this movie was 40 years after it was first released and it still feels unique. It's a compelling, entertaining look at the dark side of professional football, but it's wrapped up in an enjoyable story about individuals. North Dallas Forty took a different approach to the sub-genre and that's why it's still so deserving of our time. I'd highly recommend this film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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