Harris was really convincing in his portrayal of the aspiring footballer Machin. The scene where he gets his teeth broken up and the emergency dentistry that followed was pretty tough to watch. Really cool footage at the beginning with the hand-held camera right with the players on the pitch. Excellent black and white photography. Highly recommended as a sports film and as a drama depicting a young man who is paid to be violent, and then has difficulty turning it off when he's not playing the game. The cynical portrayals of the owner and his flunkies is a bit obvious and stereotypical for today, but back then it probably seemed fairly believable. Don't miss "Reggie Perrin", the late and great Leonard Rossiter, who I hear was a pretty respectable athlete in his own right.
Review of This Sporting Life
