(Oliver Stone, US 1999, 162 min., 35mm)
Oliver Stone’s high-octane cinema is brought to bear on America’s most violent sport at the cusp of the high-definition television revolution. In Stone’s eyes, football is no longer a sport but a business, with human warriors as the casualties and cost of commerce. Aging quarterback Jack Rooney (Dennis Quaid) is injured late in the season and upstart rookie Willie Beaman (Jamie Foxx) takes his place. While Jack vows to return for the playoffs, the team begins to win under Willie, making the situation untenable and leading Jack to make some questionable decisions. Meanwhile, team owner Christina Pagniacci (Cameron Diaz) and longtime coach Tony D’Amato (Al Pacino) clash over the direction of the team, putting Tony’s career, and Christina’s business, at risk. A soap opera (literally) on steroids, Any Given Sunday may not have been the football film we wanted, but it was the football film we deserved at the dawn of the 21st century. The cast also includes James Woods, LL Cool J, Ann-Magret, Lauren Holly, Aaron Eckhart, Charlton Heston, Matthew Modine, and NFL stars Jim Brown and Lawrence Taylor.