Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.0

The Longest Yard Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 5, 2020

Robert Aldrich's "The Longest Yard" (1974) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment. There are no bonus features on the release. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

I have often wondered whether Robert Aldrich’s The Longest Yard might have inspired John Huston to shoot Victory. I know the official story about the conception of Victory highlights Huston’s interest in a couple of real events, but every time I revisit The Longest Yard I see major similarities between these films that immediately awaken the speculator in me. The football game that becomes a soccer game. Two teams of prisoners going on the field to face their captors. Professional football players joining Burt Reynolds. Professional European soccer players joining Michael Caine. Sure, different games with different rules, but the idea behind these films looks the same to me. Perhaps I am wrong to speculate that they are related, but I can’t be the only one that sees the similarities. They are way too obvious to be missed, especially by folks that know Aldrich and Huston’s work well.

I would like to point out a couple of things that make these films different as well. For example, Aldrich’s film oozes such unbridled macho energy that a few times it temporarily steps into a territory that ‘70s exploitation films liked to visit. The opening fifteen or so minutes where Burt Reynolds’ disgraced quarterback, Paul Crewe, beats up and ditches his abusive mistress and then gets in serious trouble with the law is classic ‘bad’ ‘70s material of the type that is nowadays impossible to shoot. It sets the tone for the entire film and prevents Crewe and the rest of the characters to evolve into conventional cinematic heroes, which is precisely the reason why later on their antics inside the prison and on the field look legit. Crewe and his players are not supposed to win, they just have to survive in a game that the prison warden and everyone else know they will lose. Huston’s film immediately begins reshaping its characters into conventional cinematic heroes and then tasks them to accomplish something much bigger. Winning against their opponents on the field isn’t enough, they must figure out how to successfully escape as well. It is why the film is overwhelmed by an avalanche of clichés and the big soccer game at the end becomes one big farce.

Perhaps the biggest difference between The Longest Yard and Victory, however, is the star leadership that Reynolds brings to the former. He makes the actors around him perform in ways that legitimize their personalities, which is a very tricky business because except for the warden and his vicious right-hand man (Ed Lauter) they are all tough hombres with huge egos. These men are not supposed to look right in a team, but Reynolds’ relaxed leadership makes their transition appear entirely authentic.

Like many of Aldrich’s great films The Longest Yard also has a good sense of humor. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea because it is loaded with testosterone and left to flourish in a sea of brutal action, but it is not demeaning either. It is the type of unfiltered humor that you would expect from a prison film that actually takes itself and its characters seriously.

Aldrich used the services of Oscar-winning cinematographer Joseph F. Biroc, who frequently collaborated with him. Their communication must have been great because the visual style of the film is almost exactly like its attitude -- plain and unpretentious but very effective.

The Longest Yard Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Longest Yard arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment.

The master that was used to produce this release emerged from Paramount's vaults. It is an older master, with some minor limitations, but I like it a lot.

First, there are absolutely no traces of compromising digital adjustments. Unsurprisingly, the visuals typically boast good to very good and in some cases excellent depth and clarity. Grain exposure is very good, but the grain appears a tad more coarse than it should be. This is a common limitation on good older masters. A modern 4K master done on high-quality equipment would have produced more even and slightly 'softer' grain scheme that would have ensured marginally superior density levels. (A quick look at Sony's 4K restoration of Easy Rider should give you an excellent idea what this improvement would look like. The type of quality you should expect from this release, however, is practically identical to the one that Criterion's Le Samouraï offers). But the current master still has a very solid and pleasing organic appearance, so even on a very large screen the entire film looks lovely. The color grading job is very convincing. In fact, I was somewhat surprised to see how well the primaries are balanced and nuances preserved in darker/indoor footage, where black crush usually becomes an issue. There are still a few areas where the blacks do become a tad thicker and produce light crush, but the overall balance is very nice. Image stability is excellent. A few blemishes remain, but there are no distracting large cuts, debris, warped or torn frames to report. So, there is a bit of room for cosmetic improvements, but I think that the current technical presentation of The Longest Yard is very solid. (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. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

The Longest Yard Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are not provided for the main feature.

The audio is clear and stable. I did not detect any balance issues to report either. The upper register sounded healthy as well, and while viewing the film I had the volume on my system turned up quite a bit. Dynamic intensity was good, but this is an older film whose original sound design is unlikely to impress viewers that appreciate what contemporary blockbusters can offer. The dialog was very easy to follow, but optional English SDH subtitles should have been offered.

The Longest Yard Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Cover - reversible cover.

The Longest Yard Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I am glad to see that The Longest Yard finally made it to Blu-ray. One of Burt Reynolds' best performances is in it, plus it is just an all-around very solid prison film. This recent release from Umbrella Entertainment is sourced from an older but strong organic master that was licensed from Paramount Pictures. There are no bonus features on it, but if you enjoy the film and have been wanting to upgrade your DVD release, you should not miss it. It is Region-Free. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.