Richard Harris,
Rachel Roberts,
Alan Badel,
William Hartnell,
Colin Blakely
... see more 
Adapted by David Storey from his own novel, This Sporting Life stars Richard Harris as Frank, an athletic coal miner who aspires to the greener pastures of professional rugby. Soon establishing himsel... read more
DVD Release Date: January 22, 2008
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Stats: 173 reviews
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Flixster Reviews (173)
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February 10, 2011"This Sporting Life" is one of the most famous of the British "kitchen sink" dramas of the 1950s and 1960s ("kitchen sink" films were very gritty, social realist films which were very popular in Britain at one time).
Frank Machin (Richard Harris) is a brutal, young miner in a ci... read more -
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July 3, 2010One of the original angry young man films is extremely well acted by the leads but is a rather dispiriting experience to sit through.
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February 23, 2008Lifes tough. for some more than others this is a fine example. just goes to show u cant always have everything u want. Love this movie
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November 3, 2007Fascinating and often brutal portrait of a man gradually destroying himself by failing to get a grip on his own emotions. What a face Richard Harris has! You can spend the whole movie exploring its contours. If you've only seen him in the Harry Potter movies, you must watch him i... read more
Critic Reviews
January 22, 2008
Variety Staff, Variety
June 27, 2002
John Petrakis, Chicago Tribune
It's impossible not to appreciate the remarkable performances (both Harris and Roberts were nominated for Oscars) or the realistic rugby scenes that earned Harris a broken leg. Full Review
January 1, 2000
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Probably the best crafted of the British 'kitchen sink' movies. Full Review
June 5, 2009
David Jenkins, Time Out
The film is raw and confident, but it's a little shallow, too. Full Review
June 5, 2009
Film4
This Sporting Life exhibits astonishing vigour and a fierce engagement with life, but the bitter poetry is all its own. Full Review
June 5, 2009
Wendy Ide, Times [UK]
I can't think of a sport movie that is better photographed. The black and white cinematography is gorgeously stark, the perfect medium for this bleakly unforgiving tale. Full Review
June 5, 2009
Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]
This Sporting Life shrewdly anticipates modern Britain: a dour, yet thrilling and exhilarating film. Full Review
June 5, 2009
Sukhdev Sandhu, Daily Telegraph
I'm tempted to see it as one of the strongest films of that period, every frame of which pulsates with drama, class confusion and erotic force. Full Review
January 22, 2008
TV Guide's Movie Guide
From its virtuoso opening shot of a rugby scrum -- from the bottom, looking up -- to its final emotionally draining moments, This Sporting Life is a captivating, visceral film experience. Full Review
January 21, 2008
Arthur Ryel-Lindsey, Slant Magazine
This Sporting Life is a quintessential entrant in Britain's kitchen-sink realism of the late-'50s and '60s. Full Review
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This Sporting Life
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