Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Longest Yard Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 30, 2023

Robert Aldrich's "The Longest Yard" (1974) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by critics Alain Silver and Kames Ursini; archival audio commentary by Burt Reynolds and writer/producer Albert S. Ruddy; archival featurettes; and vintage trailer. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

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 its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Longest Yard arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release introduces an exclusive new 4K makeover of The Longest Yard, which I viewed in its entirety in native 4K. You can see our review of the 4K Blu-ray release here. However, I did extensive comparisons between this release and this Australian release which is sourced from an older master.

In our review of the 4K Blu-ray release, you will read various observations about the quality of the new 4K makeover. In 1080p, the same 4K makeover makes some of the anomalies that are mentioned in the other article a little easier to recognize. For example, on my system, I could identify the smearing even in backgrounds. Of course, it depends on how sensitive the viewer is, but I think that the larger the screen is, the more obvious these anomalies become in 1080p. On the older release, many of the same areas actually reveal better delineation because the smearing is not present. The difference is particularly easy to observe during fast-moving footage. However, I must point out that on the older release you will see more coarse grain. Color reproduction looks good in 1080p as well, though most darker areas reveal stronger crushing. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a RegionA "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

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 provided for the main feature.

While viewing the film in native 4K, I did not encounter any issues to report in our review. I tested numerous areas of the 1080p presentation while I was performing comparisons with the older Australian release of The Longest Yard and did not encounter any issues again. For additional comments, please see our review of the 4K Blu-ray release.

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

• Commentary One - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by film critics Alain Silver and Kames Ursini, authors of What Ever Happened to Robert Aldrich?. The two gentlemen -- both clearly with an outstanding grasp of the many unique qualities of Robert Aldrich's directing style and work -- discuss in great detail the conception of The Longest Yard and the special characters it introduces, the nature of the drama in it and its macho overtones, the humor that flourishes with it, the evolution of Aldrich's career, etc.

• Commentary Two - this archival audio commentary was recorded by Burt Reynolds and writer/producer Albert S. Ruddy. It has appeared on previous home video releases of The Longest Yard.

• Doing Time on The Longest Yard - this archival program examines the genesis of The Longest Yard. Included in it are clips from interviews with Burt Reynolds, James Hampton, producer/writer Albert S. Ruddy, and a couple of sports journalists. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Unleashing The Mean Machine - this archival program examines the authenticity of the sports footage in The Longest Yard. Also, there are some very interesting and hilarious comments about the great Ray Nitschke. Included in it are clips from interviews with Burt Reynolds, James Hampton, producer/writer Albert S. Ruddy, and Doug Flutie, amongst others. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Trailer - presented here is avintage trailer for The Longest Yard. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

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

I did extensive comparisons between this release and this Australian release, which is sourced from an older but solid organic master. The discrepancies in quality that I observed are quite strange. While the new 4K makeover quickly creates the impression that The Longest Yard looks very healthy now, areas of the film appear oddly shaky. For example, fast-moving footage looks better on the older release. The new 4K makeover does not always reveal superior delineation either. So, the initial impression is not the correct impression. If you wish to acquire this release or the 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack for your collection, my advice would be to find a way to test them first.