Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Blue Chips Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 29, 2022

William Friedkin's "Blue Chips" (1994) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment. The supplemental features on the release include new program with director of photography Tom Priestly Jr.; new program with editor Robert K. Lambert; new audio commentary by critic Bilge Ebiri; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

I vividly remember September 10, 2000. It was late afternoon when many people in Bloomington, Indiana, began realizing that the unthinkable had happened -- President Myles Brand had fired coach Bobby Knight. I remember that earlier there were quite a few skeptics. But the news was traveling very fast, and when students started skipping classes to organize a march in support of coach Knight, the skeptics became believers, too. Then thousands of students went out on the streets and walked to Assembly Hall, singing and cursing, doing plenty of silly things along the way as well. I was there, too. It was wild and there was a heavy police presence all over town. After coach Knight left, everything changed. In 2002, the Indiana Hoosiers reached the Final Four one more time, but it was their last appearance there. Some of the players on that team came to Indiana University because of coach Knight, so it is not an exaggeration to say that he had won games even after he was no longer coaching in Bloomington.

In William Friedkin’s Blue Chips, Nick Nolte plays Pete Bell, a college basketball coach that is unquestionably modeled after coach Knight. (In an exclusive new audio commentary, Bilge Ebiri mentions that coach Bell blends personal qualities from several famous real-life college basketball coaches, but I only recognize coach Knight’s attributes and style). Coach Bell has many human flaws but is a proven winner that knows how to transform boys into men and send them on their way to success. At Western University, coach Bell is essentially the basketball program, just like coach Knight was at Indiana University until September 10, 2000.

After he is handed his first losing season, coach Bell decides to rebuild the basketball program with help from Happy (J.T. Walsh), a fixer with plenty of wealthy friends that care deeply about Western University. It is a risky move, illegal too, but it seems like the only way coach Bell can convince three brilliant young basketball players to join him at Western University. In Chicago, he meets Butch McRae (Penny Hardaway). In rural Indiana, he meets Ricky Roe (Matt Nover). In Algiers, Louisiana, he meets Neon Boudeaux (Shaquille O'Neal). Shortly after, Happy’s wealthy friends connect with the boys and hand out some serious gifts -- a bag of cash, a posh apartment in downtown Chicago, a brand-new tractor, and a sleek car -- that very quickly help them decide that their future is with coach Bell at Western University. A few months later, coach Bell begins rebuilding the basketball program, and not too long after that his boys dismantle the number one team in the nation, the Indiana Hoosiers. But instead of feeling satisfied with the quick success coach Bell begins having regrets about his association with Happy and during a press conference where his working methods are questioned shocks everyone with a most unexpected announcement.

Even though there are so many obvious similarities between coach Bell and coach Knight, Blue Chips is not about the image and legacy of the latter. It is about the flip side of college basketball in America and specifically the culture that defines it. As a result, the drama that flourishes in Blue Chips is not of the kind that you would encounter in timeless classics like Hoosiers. Rather, it is a key piece of a litmus test that reveals plenty of truths about completely different players engaged in a much bigger and more complex business game.

Nolte’s outstanding performance is the catalyst of all the good things that happen in Blue Chips. For example, the contrasting speeches he gives before his players are pitch-perfect and have quite an impact on the authenticity of the sports material that usually comes after them. Similarly, while dealing with the university administrators, boosters, and the players’ parents the delivery of his observations is excellent and he really does begin to look like a man who is caught in an awful predicament. A different actor would not have handled the part as well as Nolte does.

A few of the supporting actors are a bit shaky, but they do not hurt the drama. Walsh is the best of them. O’Neal, Hardaway, and Nover look seriously stiff, but in certain areas of the film it feels right that they do. Mary McDonnell slightly overplays her character.

Coach Rick Pitino, who a few years later got in trouble for similar activities as the ones that are highlighted in the film, pops up before the camera. Dick Vitale introduces the big clash between Western University and Indiana University. Larry Bird greets Nolte in French Lick. A young Rick Fox can be spotted, too. Coach Knight is seen directing his team as well.

Blue Chips Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Blue Chips arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment.

The release is sourced from an older but very solid master that was supplied by Paramount Pictures. In case you are wondering whether it is the same master that was used for the U.S. release of Blue Chips, the answer is yes, it is.

Delineation, clarity, and depth are very pleasing throughout the entire film. There are only a few spots where slightly bigger than usual fluctuations reveal flatness that is usually associated with weaker older masters (see screencapture #10). A few highlights can be better managed, but there is nothing seriously troubling. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Grain is nicely exposed and with an even stronger encode it would have looked very good. Color balance is convincing. Excluding a few areas where the weaker highlights destabilize small nuances, the primaries and the supporting nuances look either very good or excellent. Image stability is excellent. I noticed a few blemishes, but there are no distracting large cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. All in all, even though there is room for small cosmetic improvements, the current presentation of Blue Chips is very convincing. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Blue Chips Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed most of the film with the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and switched to the English LPCM 2.0 track to compare dynamic balance and separation. I thought that the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track was excellent. It is very healthy and potent. It easily produces solid dynamic contrasts in areas of the film where such were intended. Is there any room for improvement? Right now I do not think so, but if the audio is remastered in the future, I am ready to be proven wrong. I just cannot identify anything wrong with the current lossless track.

Blue Chips Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "Finding Your Way" - in this exclusive new program, editor Robert K. Lambert discusses the early stages of his career, his approach to editing and composition, relationship with William Friedkin and work on Blue Chips. There are some particularly interesting observations about the editing of Sorcerer as well. In English, not subtitled. (14 min).

• "Painting Blue" - in this exclusive new program, director of photography Tom Priestly Jr. explains how he fell in love with filmmaking and how his career evolved over the years, and discusses his work with William Friedkin on Blue Chips. Also, there are plenty of interesting observations about the making of The Exorcist and The French Connection and the importance of proper lighting. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).

• "We Don't Buy Athletes: Illegal Recruiting and the NCAA" - in this exclusive new program, sports journalist Ben Strauss discusses the politics and business interests that have infiltrated college basketball in America. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• Commentary - in this exclusive new audio commentary, critic Bilge Ebiri discusses the production of Blue Chips and the many ways in which the film recreates real personalities, practices, and even business interests that define college basketball in America.

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for Blue Chips. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

Blue Chips Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

College basketball is a very big and very profitable business defined by all kinds of different visible and invisible players. William Friedkin's film Blue Chips is about the flip side of college basketball where the invisible players are very creative and frequently make things happen while breaking the law. Naturally, if you expect it to impress as a conventional sports film, you will most likely be disappointed. I think that Nick Nolte is outstanding as coach Pete Bell and makes the entire film look very realistic. This recent release from Via Vision Entertainment is sourced from an older but solid organic master that was supplied by Paramount Pictures. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.