Hoosiers is one of the
greatest sports films ever made and is now being released in a special
Collector’s Edition with an enhanced transfer and loads of extras.
Hoosiers tells the true
story of a high school basketball team out of a tiny town in Indiana
that came from nowhere and went all the way to the state championship
in 1954. The film focuses on Coach Norman Dale (Hackman) who hasn’t
coached basketball in over a decade due to a horrible mistake he made
in his last coaching job (at the college level). This mistake has
been haunting him ever since, but he decides to give coaching another
try, this time at the high school level (Hickory High School) in a
town where nobody will know his name. The principal of Hickory
is an old friend of Coach Dale and gives him this second opportunity.
The school and the
players are mourning the passing of their previous coach, the grief
has overwhelmed the star player Jimmy so much he’s quit basketball for
good. The school is so small there are only seven players left and
they don’t have the skills needed to win. Once Coach Dale is
introduced, he begins to radically change the way these kids practice
and approach the game. During the first few moments of Dale meeting
his new team, he kicks two players out of practice because they were
mouthing off. He approaches practice like a drill sergeant and puts
his players through grueling sessions trying to get them in their best
possible physical states. In the first game, having only five players
to work with, he intentionally sits a player for not listening to
him. This is not what the town is used to and it isn’t long before
the townspeople start to turn on the new coach.
One of the player’s
fathers, Shooter (Hopper), is an alcoholic mourning his wife who is a
constant embarrassment to his son, showing up to the games plastered.
But Coach Dale soon learns that Shooter knows quite a bit about the
game (he was once a good player) and he makes him an assistant coach
on the condition he stay sober. And since Coach Dale keeps getting
kicked out of games for his hotheaded behavior, Shooter becomes an
integral and valuable part of the team and he begins to get his son’s
confidence and respect back.
Hickory
lives and breathes basketball; the high school games are always filled
to capacity and most of the town travels with the team when they play
elsewhere. They corner the coach every chance they can get to give
him their two cents. So when this team starts losing, the whole town
turns on the coach and they call a town meeting to oust him. But it
is here at this meeting where fate intervenes and the star player
Jimmy comes to the coach’s rescue and announces his return to the team
(on the condition that the coach stays). Once the team has its star
back, they turn the corner and start winning games and molding into a
true team. They begin an improbable run to the state championship
where they encounter set backs but learn how to work together as team
to get through anything.
CRITIQUE
Hoosiers will always be
mentioned in any argument involving the best sports film of all time,
and rightfully so, but it would not be in my top 5 list of best sports
films. This is not to say the film is not a great sports film, it is
hands down the best basketball related film ever made, but it has many
weaknesses that work against it (although it does manage to overcome
them based upon two great performances and a rousing story). The film
is very formulaic and predictable, and the basketball action just
doesn’t grab me. The script and direction are both formulaic and
routine, the supporting cast seems inexperienced and weak, and the
townspeople are really just cardboard cut outs not fleshed out
characters.
With all of those
weaknesses working so much against it, Hoosiers still manages
to be a rousing success and is such a well-loved film because it hooks
you in from the beginning with the superb performance of Gene Hackman
and then keeps you rooting as the storyline with Scooter evolves
(brought to life so gloriously by Dennis Hopper) and the team moves
towards the ultimate goal. Hackman is just tremendous as Coach Dale,
he brings such passion and intensity to the role. He grounds the
character in a moral goodness and likeability that carries the picture
in its weakest moments. His reactions, mannerisms, and character
development are all natural and realistic right down to the subtle
details. The film is so straight and arrow and predictable that
around the halfway point the film is in dire need of a jolt. That is
where Dennis Hopper comes in. The storyline of this drunken, down and
out guy who also gets a second shot is just what the film needed and
Hopper nails the character. Hopper is such a gifted and unique actor
he usually plays psychos or weirdos, but here is one of his rare roles
that he plays a fairly normal guy who is down on his luck and he is
just brilliant. The supporting cast is a definite weak point in the
film outside of Hopper’s fantastic performance. No one else has any
gravitas or charm enough to rise above the cardboard characters.
The direction from
David Anspaugh has a very TV-movie-of-the-week feel to it. The
opening credits cement that from the start. Anspaugh also doesn’t
have a great feel for capturing the action on the court. The action
isn’t quite dull (mainly because of the rooting interest) but it comes
dangerously close. He does seem to understand that he has two great
performances going on and he keeps the camera where it belongs for
most of the film (Hackman and Hopper). The script is so formulaic and
predictable it makes it hard for the film to really take off. I just
love movies that take you places you weren’t expecting or have that
feel of crackling energy and originality. Hoosiers has such
the predictable storyline the enjoyment has to come elsewhere (which
it does in the great performances).
THE VIDEO
The transfer for
the Collector’s Edition is really quite an improvement from the
initial DVD release. This transfer was one of the most impressive
I’ve seen from such an old film. The picture looks terrific.
THE AUDIO
Hoosiers
is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, the balances sound
as they should and the dialogue and soundtrack are quite crisp and
clear. The only problem I had was with the audio during the games, I
was expecting some great sounds from the surround system but was
disappointed.
THE EXTRAS
Commentary by
Director David Anspaugh and writer Angelo Pizzo –
This is actually a very lively discussion about the making of the film
from conception all the way through to this Collector’s Edition.
You’ll learn about the challenges faced in production, how they got
Hackman and Hopper, and what kinds of changes were made from the true
story for dramatic purposes. This was actually a very informative and
entertaining commentary that runs the whole gamut of making
Hoosiers.
Deleted Scenes
– There are over a half hour worth of deleted scenes introduced by
Anspaugh and Pizzo where they talk about the scene and why it was
cut. As is the case with most deleted scenes for DVD releases, these
are scenes that obviously should have been cut for tone issues, time
constraints, or poor execution. These are still worth a look.
Hoosier History:
The Truth Behind the Legend – This is a featurette that guides the viewer through the
real life events that inspired the film. Usually, I love the extras
that show the real life events and people behind the story of the
film, but this feature turns out to be an utter bore to sit through.
And there are no revealing facts or anecdotes worth mentioning which
is, again, not usually the case. This was a very disappointing extra.
Milan
vs. Muncie 1954 Indiana High School Championship Game
– This is the footage from the entire real life game portrayed at the
end of the film. The footage is tough to watch because of how grainy
and rough the source is and because of the type of basketball being
played. This was during the times of jump shots from the hip and
really slow half court offense. But I did get a kick out of watching
it, just to see how much times have changed (for the good and bad).
FINAL THOUGHTS
Hoosiers
is a classic sports film, that while predictable and formulaic, it
still manages to soar on the great performances from Hackman and
Hopper. I have many other favorite sports films that I’d consider
much better, but Hoosiers still has some old fashioned charm to
it.
