Burt Reynolds,
Eddie Albert,
Pervis Atkins,
Malcolm Atterbury,
Harry Caesar
... see more 
Ex-football star Paul Crewe (Burt Reynolds) ends up in a prison run by sadistic sports-nut Warden Hazen (Eddie Albert). Strong-armed into forming an inmate football team, Crewe manages to instill an e... read more
Directed by: Robert Aldrich
Release Date: August 30, 1974
DVD Release Date: January 30, 2001
Stats: 2,710 reviews
Decent enough sports film, The Longest Yard for me, has been s tad overhyped and its reputation slightly killed the tone of the film for me. The film is far better than the remake of course and it should be seen as one of the best sports films, but it's not one of my personal fav... read more
Burt Reynolds plays a football player who goes on a spree and is locked in jail and forced to play football. There are a few disturbing things, like the old gay snitch, the cell fire, the mean warden, and Burt without a moustache! There's a muddy hard labor scene. But it has goo... read more
The movie that cemented Burt Reynolds as a bonafide action superstar of the 70's
Gritty and brutal sports-prison film hybrid that sees Burt Reynolds at his most watchable, sticking it ot the man via american football. It has shades of Aldrich's earlier The Dirty Dozen, and although formulaic and a little predictable, you can't help cheering for the cons in th... read more
A great prison movie and a great sports film, all rolled into one. You haven't got to be a fan of American Football to appreciate the way the Mean Machines take the guards apart. This is probably Burt Reynolds best movie (except for maybe 'Boogie Nights') as he manages to show hi... read more
Speaking of movies that didn't need a remake!
Don't waste your time on the wannabe...
Burt reynolds, in peak form, plays a former pro quarterback ostracized for shaving points. After beating up his girlfriend and resisting arrest, reynolds winds up in prison, where semiprogessional team of guardsmen win a championship. Naturally, the inmates despise reynolds and n... read more
What saves it, aside from good performances by Burt Reynolds and a thundering herd of supporting grotesques, is, of all things, a tough, tiny nut of valid social criticism. Full Review
Though The Yard is a terrible picture, I'll admit to having unwillingly enjoyed some of the football practice and parts of the final game -- even though it's much too long. Full Review
If it ultimately descends into macho nonsense, then that's all part of the fun. Full Review
Pardon me if I wasn't blown away by all its simplistic machinations and lighthearted appeal to one's baser instincts. Full Review
Part prison film, part football film, this violent but outstanding comedy-drama by gifted action director Robert Aldrich explores the brutality inherent in both the American penal system and football. Full Review
The original has just the right mix of toughness and humor. Burt Reynolds was born to play incarcerated quarterback Paul Crewe. Full Review
Very exciting, very witty, and elevated above its action-movie status by Aldrich's deliberate references to Nixon in Albert's characterisation of the warden. Full Review
Aldrich...created Paul Crewe just as much as Reynolds did. Full Review
The film drags until it reaches the climactic football game, and the contest itself doesn't justify the two-hour run.
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