Berlin International Film Festival 2000

Any Given Sunday by Oliver Stone

Americans are fanatical about football. But, post-OJ, a number of players seem to be ending up in jail for crimes as serious as murder. So much for the old line about sports heroes
being role models...

Who better to tackle this bad-boy sport on the big screen than Oliver Stone, the director of such landmark films as Nixon, JFK and Platoon?

Using an MTV camera style reminiscent of Natural Born Killers, Stone has a field day with

America's second-favourite pastime.

Assembling a first-rate cast, topped by Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz and Dennis Quaid, Any Given Sunday is packed with on-field action and office intrigue.

When the team owner dies, his daughter (Diaz) has dreams of changing the franchise into a bigger money-maker. But she doesn't count on the resistance she gets from the long-time coach (Pacino). Meanwhile, a third-string player goes out on the field a bum and comes back a hero in true underdog style.

Any Given Sunday is full of superbly edited football plays and a character-driven story that's equally exciting.

Owen Levy