Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Blue Chips Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 4, 2022

At what price, victory, and at what cost, the soul? These are the questions posed in Blue Chips, Director William Friedkin's (The French Connection, The Exorcist) college basketball film about recruitment, corruption, the integrity of the game, and the morality of the men who play the game, coach the game, and fund the game. Basketball action takes a backseat to the dramatic undercurrents that shape the story off the court, here depicted with ferocious honesty as parents, students, coaches, and boosters all want something different out of the program -- perks, money, women, status, wins -- and must find a way to appease one another while working in the shadows, away from the bright lights above the hardwood.

Pete Bell (Nick Nolte) is the win-at-all-costs coach of Western University. The school has never experienced a losing season during his tenure. He has two national championships and countless accolades to his name, but this season he's saddled with a sorry group of players that are going to cost him his streak and usher in the first losing season in many, many years. The only answer for turning things around the following season is to go heavy into the recruitment process, a process littered with corruption that is beyond the pale for a coach like Pete Bell. However, when it becomes clear that the only way to compete on the hardwood is to compete under the table, Bell reluctantly turns to underhanded means to land three prized recruits: Butch McRae (Penny Hardaway), Ricky Roe (Matt Nover), and Neon Boudeaux (Shaquille O'Neal). With a superior roster in place, Western's fortunes appear ready to turn back around, unless word gets out that the school has joined the ranks of cheaters rather than champions.

Blue Chips is not a sports action film but rather a sports drama film. The driving force behind the story may be the action on the court -- Western's play is not up to par and some fresh troops are needed to return the program to its winning ways -- but the focus is on how those players come to play for the school. All three of them are in a position to demand because none of the other schools are playing by the rules. Coach Bell will have to decide if he's going to hold firm to the rules -- and save his soul in the process -- or if he will succumb to the pressure to win at any cost, pressure born of both outside demands and expectations and is own inner demands and expectations. It's a fascinating bit of narrative weaving and the opportunity to dig deeply into what is here the seedy underbelly of the collegiate programs is quite the cinematic study.

Nolte is terrific as Coach Bell, playing the part with a depth and grip on his obsession -- that has cost him his marriage and now, perhaps, his very soul -- with much the same intensity as Jon Voight in Varsity Blues which may be the single greatest "obsessed coach" performance ever. Nolte's work is clearly modeled on Bobby Knight (who makes a cameo appearance in this film), evident early on as he berates his players and throws a temper tantrum during a game, but the performance is just as much defined by his command of the character's private life away from the court, dealing with his estranged wife Jenny (Mary McDonnell) who cares just as much about the game, the program, and the players as does Coach Bell, going so far as to tutor those in need of remedial academic aid. Nolte's is a full and deep performance. While the story holds serve on its own, Nolte's glue is the driving force behind the film and easily the top reason to watch.

Blue Chips Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Blue Chips doesn't look poor, but neither does it look great. There's a mild feel for processing at play with this one, a slight look of unnaturally meshy grain. Details hold firm enough and not appearing smoothed over. Yield is moderate for core texturing on faces, clothes, and the locker room, but the picture lacks the purely filmic look of the best catalogue releases. Colors are appropriately punchy with impressive depth and vitality to Western blue and yellow. Colors do not lack expressive yield, but they do struggle to find exceptional nuance and lifelike accuracy. Still, the fairly deep and varied color assortment affords the image a pleasing appearance. Black levels are deep and skin tones look fairly accurate. Compression issues are in play from time to time (look at the 22:01 mark for a good example) but never to a seriously debilitating extent. Likewise, print wear and damage are in evidence, too, but again not to a point of distraction. This could be better but...it's a fairly solid image overall.

Blue Chips Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Paramount's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack for Blue Chips isn't exactly a slam dunk, but it plays well enough in support of the movie. Crowd din and basketball action in the opening minutes, during the game in which Western is struggling badly and Coach Bell throws his temper tantrum (by kicking a basketball), offers good fundamental immersion though to be sure clarity and distinctiveness are lacking; the sound doesn't feel real and lifelike, but the net effect is certainly positive enough. That much is true for the majority of this listen. There's always a mild edge to the proceedings, a sense that things are not quite as tight and realistic as they might have been, whether the PA addresses introducing the three prospects during their campus visit inside an empty arena or general din inside dorms and outside around campus. Music is adequality spaced and clear, with mild surround and subwoofer engagement. Listeners will not mistake this music for a live orchestra, but once again the sum total impact is just fine. Dialogue drives the majority of the picture, and it is presented clearly and cleanly from a natural front-center position while holding to good, effortless prioritization.

Blue Chips Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Blue Chips contains one extra: the film's Original Theatrical Trailer (480i, 4x3, 2:21). No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

Blue Chips Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Blue Chips is likely not the first film one considers when recalling Director William Friedkin's filmography, but this is certainly a picture that shows evidence of a master craftsman at work. The picture is dramatically deep and its characters are vividly drawn and portrayed. There are some cheeky moments that divert attention away from the grit, but at its center is a picture that is very much focused on the darker side of college athletics. It's a fine film that sports fans, and audiences in search of serious cinema drama, will find rewarding. Paramount's disc is disappointingly all but featureless and the video and audio presentations are only "good" rather than "great," but based on the strength of the film, and the Blu-ray's aggressive pricing, it earns a solid recommendation.