Reviews

As a Hoosier who had just graduated from high school, I remember this game vividly. Even though I watched it on a small black and white TV, remember this was 1954, the heart stopping, pulse pounding suspense was almost unbearable. The movie follows the game fairly well, but there are some inaccuracies. The school was named Milan, not Hickory, and they played Muncie Central, not South Bend Central. The name of the hero was Bobby Plump. I will never forget Plump holding the ball at the center of the court for over 4 minutes with the score tied, and then with 18 seconds left he worked the clock down to five seconds, and then made the shot "heard round the world." Butler Fieldhouse held around 15,000 people, but there are several million Hoosiers who claim to have been there that night. Hackman and Hopper were marvelous in their respective roles, but they really don't represent the real coaches at Milan. I don't believe there was that much strife on the team, like it is depicted in the movie either. For sports fans, or just people who like to root for the little guy, this movie is for you.

Never have I been so disappointed in a war movie. Sean Penn was totally unbelievable as a Master Sgt. The flashback/dreamscenes were an annoyance. The beginning of the film was a total waste of time. The scenes between Nolte and Travolta were almost comical. I couldn't follow what was supposed to be happening. i.e. John Savages' character. The only redeeming value I could find in the film, was Nick Noltes' acting. On a scale of 1 to 10 this is at most a 5. This is the only war movie that I have ever quit watching. During the scenes of their R & R, I got up an went to my PC and started playing solitaire.

This movie is one of the overlooked war movies. It tells a powerful story about how history repeats itself. The Americans find themselves falling into the same trap that the French fell into just a few years earlier. Their fears would be well founded in just a few brief years.

Burt Lancaster was great as the beleagured American Major. His fate at the end of the movie is one that every combat soldier must surely dread.

Taut direction, combined with a strong supporting cast and a literate plot makes this a must see for fans of the war movie genre. I would put it right up there with Platoon and Saving Private Ryan. A strong 3 1\2 stars.

This film is absolutely the most realistic war movie ever made. Some people have panned it because it doesn't show enough of the efforts of the other Allied Forces. It wasn't about the Allied effort, it was about Saving Private Ryan. Some people even called the Allies the Axis. How can you take their comments seriously, when they don't know the good guys from the bad guys. Tom Hanks was remarkable as the Ranger Captain, although it is hard to picture a forty something Captain leading an assault team on D-Day. 10 out of 10.

This movie was a great Western. Why it is not mentioned with other great westerns, is a mystery to me. It is the story of how people can be drawn into doing something that they don't really want to do, and the consequences that result. Dana Andrews was great and of course Henry Fonda gave his usual fine performance. 10 out of 10.

This was a tour de force for Tom Hanks, he definitely deserved the Oscar for this one. Gary Sinise was great as Lt. Dan. This movie had everything, comedy, tragedy, pathos, nostalgia and a history lesson, although somewhat warped. I would recommend it for anyone. 10 out of 10