North Dallas Forty (1979)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: Muddled overall, but perceptive and brutally realistic, North Dallas Forty also benefits from strong performances by Nick Nolte and Charles Durning. Football fans will likely find it fascinating.
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Cast
as Coach Johnson
as Emmett
as Phil Elliott
as Jo Bob Priddy
as Seth Maxwell
as O.W. Shaddock
as B.A. Strothers
as Conrad Hunter
as Eddie Rand
as Charlotte Caulder
as Balford
as Doctor
as Joanne
as Vip
as Mrs. Hartman
as Stallings
as Art Hartman
as Ruth
as March
as Conrad
as Sportscaster
as Monroe
as Tony Douglas
Critic Reviews for North Dallas Forty
All Critics (23) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (20) | Rotten (3) | DVD (3)
Profanely funny, wised-up and heroically antiheroic, North Dallas Forty is unlikely to please anyone with a vested interest in glorifying the National Football League.
Retains enough of the original novel's authenticity to deliver strong, if brutish, entertainment.
The football scenes are brutally real; the locker room scenes are totally authentic.
The production is a most realistic, hard-hitting and perceptive look at the seamy side of pro football.
Something of a mess, both in terms of the wayward plot which rambles all over the place, and in terms of the rather muddled juggling of audience sympathies.
The leading man, Nick Nolte, has a physical authority and a clowning, irreverent manner that lend the film some semblance of continuity, even when it's about to flounder.
Audience Reviews for North Dallas Forty
Not enough football action. It's dated and practically unwatchable. (First and only viewing - 2/4/2016)
I think the game is twisting your mind. Phillip Elliot is a wide receiver that would do anything to play. He has a bad knee but a great relationship and chemistry with the star quarterback. He's getting sick of the fast lifestyle and looks to settle down with his girl. We watch as his career opportunities appear to be increasing after a big touchdown catch in the play-offs; but in professional football, careers and opportunities disappear in the wink of an eye. "Better football through chemistry." Ted Kotcheff, director of First Blood, Winter People, Switching Channels, Wake in Fright, Weekend at Bernie's, Hidden Assassin, and Cry Rape, delivers North Dallas Forty. The storyline for this picture is very entertaining and tells the tale of the short lives of NFL player's the harsh realities of pain killers in the league as well as their lavish lifestyles. "They're shooting at cows." "They're too drunk to hit anything." This was recommended to me a long time ago on Rottentomatoes and I came across it again some years later on Netflix. I found this film well put together and a nice glimpse into the issues of pro sports. This is a film the NFL wouldn't even let get made today. I recommend giving this film a viewing. I don't feel much has likely changed since this came out. "I want you to knock his cock into his watch pocket." Grade: A-
12/14/2014: An ok movie. A pretty good story without much football. Not good enough to watch more than once.
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