The Longest Yard

"The Longest Yard" was the last of the major box-office hits that allowed Aldrich to continue his career with unwavering integrity. Ironically, it was in the sports comedy genre—which had been notoriously unsuccessful up to that point—that he established a formula that has since been copied countless times, yet none have matched the power of the original, which was seasoned with a dash of existentialism. Not to mention the breathtaking staging of the decisive game, which Aldrich—a self-confessed fan—wanted to make more exciting than a real match: the epic outcome captivates even viewers who have no interest in American football. Burt Reynolds plays a disgraced football star who puts together a team of inmates in prison to take on the hated guards. Eddie Albert shines as the evil warden, whom Aldrich casts with unabashed verve as a doppelgänger of President Nixon. (C.H.)