Any Given Sunday (Special Edition Directors Cut) (UK)

Awesome!! Buy it, Now! Great Movie. Great sound. Brimming with Extras. Oliver Stone is a genius.

Teriffic film with brilliant extras

Now, I`m not the biggest fan of American Football. A bunch of big wimps with "Joan Collins" style shoulder pads is not my sort of fun...but I enjoyed the movie a lot. As a sports movie, Oliver Stone has created a fantastic advert for the game.

The picture is crisp and vibrant, the sound is also exceptional. I do like Special Features and there are loads on here, shame about the crap packaging WB keep fobbing us off with.

Al Pacino and Jamie Foxx really shine and have a good scene together where Foxx goes toe-to-toe with The Godfather.

Now, if they could only make a NBA film like this?

Well I bought this movie, because of Al Pacino.This movie had energy, but the story is the same old "from the bottom to the top".I don`t care to watch football movies, because American football sucks and so does L.L Cool.The rest of the cast was ok, but those rappers were so annoying, specially that L.L Cool, I really hate him.Was this really "Oliver Stone" movie, hard to believe.

28llimaH[at]moc.liamtoh

Any Given Sunday was a pleasant surprise for me. Not being the world’s greatest American Football fan (far too many breaks for my liking), I avoided this film for a while. Eventually though, the lure of a great cast list and Oliver Stone`s direction became too much. Thankfully you don`t need to be a fan of the American game to get into the film, as the themes could easily apply to a number of sports. This is the Director`s Cut of the film, complete with scenes missing from the US theatrical release and DVD.

Al Pacino stars as Tony D`Amato, head coach of the Miami Sharks. D`Amato`s team have just lost four in a row, and to make matters worse he has just lost his star quarter back, Cap Rooney (Dennis Quaid). Up steps young pretender Willie Beamen (Jamie Foxx), who after a shaky start quickly becomes the hottest new thing in football (he even has his own rap video!). Unfortunately his success goes to his head and he manages to alienate his teammates, his girlfriend, and his coach. D`Amato, who is under increasing pressure from Sharks owner Christina Pagniacci (Cameron Diaz), has to watch his beloved team slowly disintegrate around him.

This film features so many fine performances as to be untrue. It really is an embarrassment of riches. Not only do we get Pacino, Quaid and Diaz, but we`re also treated to great turns from James Woods as the Sharks morally ambiguous doctor, LL Cool J as the teams showboating star running back, Jamie Foxx as Willie Beamen, Mathew Modine, Lauren Holly and more. The acting is superb all round, but Pacino, as usual, shines. Oh, and Elizabeth Berkley shows up just long enough to get her kit off, which is always nice.

Video is anamorphic 2.35:1, and is generally good. I did notice a few minor image problems, but nothing to get worked up about. The blacks aren`t as black as they could be in certain scenes, and this is where grain becomes evident. The football matches themselves are visual feasts, Stone really catches the mood of the games. The use of CGI to enhance the scenes is well done, without being obtrusive.

The disc`s audio is among some of the best in my collection, on a par with Saving Private Ryan, The Fifth Element and Fight Club. The Dolby 5.1 mix really puts you in the centre of the stadium during game time; the roar of the crowd, the shouts of the players, and sub lets you feel every bone-jarring tackle. Music is excellent, and features a variety of rap artists (LL Cool J and Jamie Foxx both have tracks featured), as well as music from the likes of Fatboy Slim and the Propellerheads. It`s safe to say the film is an aural feast.

The extra features are outstanding. On the first disc we have an isolated score in 5.1, two commentaries (one from Stone and one from cast & crew members), and a trailer. The second disc contains deleted and extended scenes with optional commentary, an outtakes/gag reel section, three music videos, Jamie Foxx`s audition and screen tests, football outtakes montage, a landscape montage, a stills gallery and the theatrical poster campaign. A fair amount of DVD Rom content is also included. It will take you some time to plough through the features on offer here.

Any Given Sunday is a great film that has given me a greater interest in the game it showcases. The football set-pieces are fantastic; massive blokes running around, doped up to the eyeballs on painkillers and god knows what else, trying to beat seven shades out of each other... It`s exciting stuff. But the film is about a lot more than just football, and I really can`t do it justice here. You`ll just have to watch it for yourself.

GReat print of one of Oliver`s more pointless efforts

i hate american football.but this movie is a classic unfairly snubbed at the oscars this is drama at its best with a ton of extras one of the best dvds ever this is a must have movie

A fantastic movie with great special features.

Al Pacino makes this movie good!