Any Given Sunday

This film is top of the line in terms of sports movies, a two and a half hour video clip with a plot, a showcase of well written and without exception well acted characters. With all this, Any Given Sunday won me over. Although I prefer classic rugby (which, as John Cleese said, "is a lot like American 'football' but there are no rest breaks every twenty seconds and the teams don't wear full Kevlar armor like a bunch of cowards"), the film had me engrossed virtually from the opening close-up on the ball. From then on, I was just enjoying myself. Al Pacino's coaching reincarnation, Foxx's dude, Quaid's wounded "veteran", Woods' doctor hiding his injury, Cameron Diaz in the first role I in which I really believed in her... The people who chose the music for the film did a 100% honest job, as did Oliver Stone, the screenwriters and the cameramen. If I had to pick the best scene, it would probably be the Pacino+Foxx dialogue interspersed with snippets of racing and rowing from Ben Hur. At the end of the final match scene, I tensed up in my chair, hardly breathing. How do these filmmakers do it? (05/07/2011)

This is the best sports film I’ve ever seen. It has a riveting pace, one quick shot followed by another, Stone almost doesn't let the viewer breathe, helped by a wonderful soundtrack. Al Pacino gives an acting tour de force, as we are used to him. Who surprised me, however, was Cameron Diaz, who is not far behind him, and also the lesser-known black actor Jamie Foxx, who received praise from Al Pacino himself. Stone splurges on directorial ideas, for example, in one scene he composes shots from Ben Hur into the picture, it's crazy, but it works. It’s hard to describe it with words, you have to see it. I tried the DVD option of watching the film without any sounds, with only the soundtrack, and believe me, it was still a ride. (01/09/2002)

I don't know anything about American football, but this movie really got me. I don't know how Oliver Stone managed to cram such a quality cast into one film. The script is also great, although it's not about American football per se, but rather the rottenness in the background. And the game sequences are some of the best action scenes I've ever seen. (21/09/2002)

The matches themselves have the right energy, the actors are good, Stone carries the whole thing off convincingly, but somehow it lacks something to pull you in. As a result, Any Given Sunday is nothing but an interesting addition to the endless row of sports dramas. (15/08/2007)

I don’t know the rules of American football, I don’t watch it and I don’t support any club, but this movie has a magic about it. Stone obviously had fun making this, because he serves us up one director’s delicacy after another. Additionally, the action is excellently filmed and the dialogs are so powerful that electrons were jumping out of the screen at me. Also, Al Pacino gives one of his best performances and his stirring speech for the final game is one of his most unforgettable. + Cameron Diaz plays the perfect bitch. + A great soundtrack, mixed excellently to fit the movie. (29/07/2009)

The first half hour can be classified among the strongest film moments I have ever seen. The grandiosely shot match, combined with the intense music and fantastic direction by Oliver Stone, grabs you in a way that is unprecedented. When you add a great screenplay, perfect action camera work, and brutally edited match scenes where mud and blood splatter onto the camera, you get one of the biggest hits of the season with not only captivating visuals but also a strong message if you know to read between the lines. (30/12/2004)

Oliver Stone served up another treat that I devoured. Without any long deliberation, I would place this film among the top 3 in terms of sports dramas. I don’t know how Stone does it, but his direction grabs the viewer, making it impossible to take your eyes off the screen, even for a moment. American football has always been a mystery to me—I still don’t fully understand the rules—but this deep dive, both onto the field and behind the scenes of this traditional American game, stirred strong feelings and a deep response in me. Stone also showed us the dark side of football, where important decisions, which are not always the most moral, happen off the field and away from the cameras in the backstage environment. Cameron Diaz was amazing—I always thought she could only play naive or somewhat silly characters, but portraying an unyielding football team manager? Hats off to her. Al Pacino, once again, left his soul on the stage—a brilliant gala performance by this acting icon. The games themselves wouldn’t normally be that engaging, but combined with fast cuts and flawless music, they feel incredibly dynamic. Foxx’s transformation from a show-off to a regular team player was quite believable. The final game squeezed emotions out of the audience—even I found myself slowly cheering for the Miami Sharks to win. Stone is one of the few directors who can fully draw the viewer into the action. I give it 88%. (25/07/2017)

Even though the story is actually incredibly simple and the whole thing is presented like a classic sports movie, where you have to go from losses to victories, Oliver Stone directed the film in such a way that it just grips you. In the end, I was just tensely watching how it would all turn out, even though it was clear, and it's precisely for this ability to grip you that I give it the rating I do. (15/06/2016)