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Movies / On DVD / The Longest Yard
The Longest Yard

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The Longest Yard (1974)

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Reviews Counted:31

Fresh:25

Rotten:6

Average Rating:6.9/10

Consensus: Equal parts tough and funny, and led by a perfectly cast Burt Reynolds, The Longest Yard has an interesting political subtext and an excellent climax -- even if it takes too long to get there.

Runtime: 2 hrs 3 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: In Robert Aldrich's crowd-pleasing classic, Burt Reynolds stars as convict Paul Crewe, a former football player doing time in a prison controlled by two authoritarian sports fanatics, warden Hazen... In Robert Aldrich's crowd-pleasing classic, Burt Reynolds stars as convict Paul Crewe, a former football player doing time in a prison controlled by two authoritarian sports fanatics, warden Hazen (Eddie Albert) and captain Knauer (Ed Lauter). When Crewe sees that the guards have a top-notch football team, he takes it upon himself to form a squad with his fellow dispirited inmates. As the prisoners come together, galvanized by the chance to challenge the guards, they begin to experience a sense of purpose and solidarity--and Hazen doesn't like it. With the Penitentiary Bowl approaching, Hazen pressures Crewe to throw the big game. Crewe must choose between his own freedom and supporting the newfound dignity of his convict teammates. Aldrich brings to THE LONGEST YARD the same humor-spiked, antihero-driven feel for rousing adventure shown in THE DIRTY DOZEN and creates a film that matches gridiron favorites NORTH DALLAS FORTY and SEMI-TOUGH while also comparing to classics such as ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST, STALAG 17, and THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION that reveal the soul-crushing aspects of life under lock and key. Like the latter films, Aldrich's darkly funny, bone-crunching drama succeeds most enduringly by showing the small, barbed, fiercely beautiful refusal of the spirit to surrender. [More]

Starring: Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert, Dino Washington, Ray Nitschke

Starring: Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert, Dino Washington, Ray Nitschke, Sonny Sixkiller, Michael Conrad, James Hampton, Harry Caesar, John Steadman

Director: Robert Aldrich, Tracy Keenan Wynn

Director: Robert Aldrich
Producer: Albert S. Ruddy
Director: Tracy Keenan Wynn
Story: Albert S. Ruddy
Composer: Frank DeVol

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Jan 30, 2001

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for The Longest Yard

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1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating)
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That The Longest Yard is considered something of a classic is baffling...

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
05/28/05
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

Pardon me if I wasn't blown away by all its simplistic machinations and lighthearted appeal to one's baser instincts.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
10/11/07
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

The film drags until it reaches the climactic football game, and the contest itself doesn’t justify the two-hour run.

Full Review Source: Reno Gazette-Journal | comment Comment
06/02/05
Forrest Hartman
Forrest Hartman
Reno Gazette-Journal

Though The Yard is a terrible picture, I'll admit to having unwillingly enjoyed some of the football practice and parts of the final game -- even though it's much too long.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/09/05
Nora Sayre
Nora Sayre
New York Times

...gives us a glance of Reynolds when he still had potential, before he totally gave himself over to grin and giggle junk.

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
07/31/02
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

It captures a genuine feeling of competition, even if the premise is more than a little preposterous.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
04/11/01
Ryan Cracknell
Ryan Cracknell
Apollo Guide

If it ultimately descends into macho nonsense, then that's all part of the fun.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
07/31/08
Channel 4 Film

Part prison film, part football film, this violent but outstanding comedy-drama by gifted action director Robert Aldrich explores the brutality inherent in both the American penal system and football.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
03/21/07
TV Guide's Movie Guide

I hate football, but was still captivated by this film. Martha Stewart would say that this is, "a good thing."

comment Comment
11/22/02
Alex Sandell
Alex Sandell
Juicy Cerebellum

A guilty-pleasure excursion with Reynolds in top form. Lots of fun.

comment Comment
08/15/02
Bob Bloom
Bob Bloom
Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)

his movie does for football and good sportsmanship what Paul Newman's Slapshot did for hockey.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Brad Laidman
Brad Laidman
Film Threat

No review available.

comment Comment
10/31/02
Brian J. Arthurs
Brian J. Arthurs
Beach Reporter (Southern California)

No review available.

comment Comment
02/20/04
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

The original has just the right mix of toughness and humor. Burt Reynolds was born to play incarcerated quarterback Paul Crewe.

Full Review Source: FulvueDrive-in.com | comment Comment
02/18/06
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
FulvueDrive-in.com

One of Reynold's best roles and an agreeable comedy.

comment Comment
11/29/02
Dan Lybarger
Dan Lybarger
Lawrence Journal-World

No review available.

comment Comment
07/07/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Very exciting, very witty, and elevated above its action-movie status by Aldrich's deliberate references to Nixon in Albert's characterisation of the warden.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out

The lengthy football game is one of the most enjoyable sporting events ever put on film.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
01/08/02
Jamie Russell
Jamie Russell
BBC

One of Robert Aldrich's biggest hits, The Longest Yard (1974) combines his ferocious worldview with a new kind of rambunctious audience appeal...

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/30/05
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

No review available.

comment Comment
08/08/03
Jon Niccum
Jon Niccum
Lawrence Journal-World
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating)
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