Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

North Dallas Forty Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 25, 2022

Ted Kotcheff's "North Dallas Forty" (1979) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment. The supplemental features on the release include new program with the director; new audio commentary by critics Daniel Waters, Daniel Kremer, and the director; vintage theatrical trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The broken man

Phil Elliot (Nick Nolte) is in a lot of pain. After years of making ends meet as a wide receiver for the North Dallas Bulls, he can barely sleep at night. The pain is everywhere -- in his lower back, knees, shoulders, and neck. To numb the pain, he regularly takes pills, has shots, and lights up a joint. But his body and mind have figured out that he has been cheating, and lately the pain has been a lot more persistent and intense than ever before.

A time will come when Phil will quit the team and spend the rest of his days on his beautiful farm, but he needs more money to get it done right. A few more years will most likely do the trick, so he will have to grind it out like a man. Professional football is a man’s game -- it mixes the good with the bad -- and Phil knew it when he signed up to be a wide receiver.

While partying hard with his best friend, quarterback Seth Maxwell (Mac Davis), Phil meets Charlotte (Dayle Haddon), who is nothing like Joanne Rodney (Savannah Smith Boucher), his not-so-secret part-time girlfriend. Charlotte is the kind of girl he could take to his farm and settle down with, maybe even have kids with. But even a special girl like Charlotte could be a distraction that collapses his plan for the next couple of years. If he does not stay focused on the game, it is almost certainly what would happen, and if it does, all the pain he had to endure would have been in vain.

The other much more serious problem in Phil’s life is Coach Strother (G.D. Spradlin), who has gradually lost confidence in his ability to perform on the field. Coach Strother has kept him on the bench and made him feel like an old horse whose days are numbered. Has Coach Strother been right to keep him on the bench? Could it be that Coach Strother has seen what his body has been telling him for a while? No, he is wrong. Phil is still the great wide receiver he has always been, and if given a chance, he will prove it in Chicago. To become champions, the North Dallas Bulls must win in Chicago, and Phil can make the dream come true.

Based on Peter Gent’s best-selling novel, Ted Kotcheff’s North Dallas Forty is rightfully regarded as one of the all-time greatest films about professional football in America. It sees the sport as a brutal industry run by businessmen whose obsession with winning is essentially incompatible with the nature of the game. Sadly, this depiction likely perfectly sums up every other professional sport in America as well.

The narrative is choppy but intentionally so. It allows the audience to sample the wild emotional roller-coaster that Phil’s existence has become, which is a reality shared by all of his teammates. During the regular gigantic parties, Phil and his teammates behave like invincible animals who seem determined to catch up on life while effectively destroying themselves. (How ironic is this, since they are all making ends meet while using and abusing their bodies?) When they are alone, their aches and pains quickly transform them into overused human toys. The contrasts are incredibly powerful and make professional football look like one of the cruelest legit businesses in America.

While some visuals appear slightly dated now, the lines that are being uttered and their delivery are as fresh as they were four decades ago. It is because there are absolutely no filters. The anger, euphoria, and cynicism on display perfectly sync up with them, which is ultimately what makes the film such a genuine hard-hitter. It also helps that Kotcheff had several real pros step in front of his camera. Apparently, Nolte spent quite a bit of time with a few to learn how to properly run and catch the football.

North Dallas Forty Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, North Dallas Forty arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment.

I had a very difficult time judging the technical presentation. This release is apparently sourced from a brand new 4K master that was prepared at Paramount Pictures, but North Dallas Forty has a slightly dated appearance with some very puzzling inconsistencies. For example, on my system, the overwhelming majority of the film looked very good but in a few areas it appears that some digital work was done to rebalance spots that do not need such adjustments. Also, the surface of these visuals does not have the stable grain exposure you would expect from a proper recent 4K master, though I did not see obvious traces of the type of digital tinkering that could have produced anomalies. Again, there is some rebalancing work that just isn't equally applied, but it is not conventional degraining, so its presence is very difficult to detect. The most obvious examples are in screencaptures #19 and 20, but these visuals still look very good. Color balance is very convincing, but some supporting nuances easily could have been expanded. Image stability is excellent. All in all, I think that this is a very fine technical presentation, but with some odd inconsistencies that are quite difficult to properly analyze. I noticed quite a few small nicks popping up here ad there, even some tiny scratches, but there are no distracting large cuts, debris, warped or torn frames to report. (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).

North Dallas Forty 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. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

I viewed the entire film with the LPCM 2.0 track. Clarity, sharpness, and depth were excellent. Dynamic intensity was very good, too. In the upper register, I never detected hiss, hum, pops, or cracks. Balance remained excellent throughout the entire film.

North Dallas Forty Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction - an exclusive new video introduction to North Dallas Forty by director Ted Kotcheff. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• "Hit Me With Those Best Shots" - in 2017, Ted Kotcheff published his memoir "Director's Cut: My Life in Film". In this exclusive new program, the director reads observations from the novel and recalls his work on North Dallas Forty. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• "Looking to Get Out" - this exclusive new video essay focuses on some of the key themes that are represented in Ted Kotcheff's films as well as their visual style and personality. The essay was written, edited, and directed by critic Daniel Kremer. It was produced by Josh Hibberd. In English, not subtitled. (19 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by screenwriter Daniel Waters and critic Daniel Kremer. The commentators discuss in great detail the conception, production, and reception of North Dallas Forty and explain why it is "the Godfather of football movies", the blending of the ugly and funny that defines the film, Nick Nolte's personality and performance, etc. Ted Kotcheff joins as well, but his contribution is very small.

• Trailer - a vintage theatrical trailer for North Dallas Forty. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

North Dallas Forty Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Is Ted Kotcheff's North Dallas Forty still a relevant film? Yes, absolutely. While he was active, Brett Favre endured much of the same misery that chokes Nick Nolte's character, and we knew that he did only because he was a big-time quarterback whose career and life were closely scrutinized by the media. There are thousands of other professional players -- and not only professional football players -- like Favre who dealt with pain in a similar way. What has changed since North Dallas Forty? The drugs and some of the publicity tricks. Plus, the club owners became richer and a lot more influential because now the sports market is global. Via Vision Entertainment's Blu-ray release is sourced from a slightly uneven but fine organic master and has a good selection of exclusive new bonus features. It is Region-Free. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.