The Good
Quite simply, this is one of the best films ever made, sports or otherwise.
The Bad
No extras.
Hoosiers is the inspirational, true basketball story about a small town team in Indiana, and their coach Norman Dale who lead them to their greatest glory. Gene Hackman plays Dale in a riveting performance as a man getting a second chance, but never backing away from his dreams of what a great team he can have and what honorable men his players can be. Hackman is aided in his job by a superb Dennis Hopper who plays the role of the alcoholic, Shooter. Barbara Hershey also makes good as Myra Fleener, a woman who knows how to handle Coach Dale. There is a strength and earnestness to all the performances, but it is the look of this movie that really engages us in the story. Director David Anspaugh has given this movie an almost morbidly dark look, yet the reality is that this helps to make Hoosiers eventually leave the darkness and enter the light.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
If you want to be uplifted, if you want to see one of the most well acted, well shot and well crafted movies of the mid-1980s, Hoosiers will give you everything you need and then some.
Features
No Extras came with this release.
Video
1.85:1 Aspect Ratio. Film in 1080p. As I have mentioned the look of this movie is dark and Blu-ray doesn’t automatically present things brightened up. I am actually glad that the film still looks this way because this next generation format is so advanced, I think it serves as the final word that this is the way the director wanted things to look. In some ways the images even reminded me of how The Godfather was shot. Had things been too bright I feel that might have detracted from the more serious subject matter of this film. Like Don Corleone, Gene Hackman is force to reckoned with in any of the DVD formats.
Audio
English: DTS HD 5.1. The audio on this release was full but for me that fullness really seemed to come about because of the subject matter. I bring that up because it is hard not to watch this film and get caught up in what is going on on screen. While I didn’t feel like my speakers were going to pulsate me out of the room, mixed in with the action on the screen everything works to solid effect here. They probably could have bulked things up in the audio department, but all that would have done would be to have made this movie feel artificial. I think they exercised good taste in basically porting this movie over pretty much as is.
Package
For this front cover, Gene Hackman stares the the action on the court with his game face on. Behind him is Dennis Hopper and under this picture is shot of some on court action. The back of this release showcases some more shots from the movie, a description of what Hoosiers is about, a Special Features listing and of course the requisite, Blu-ray system specs.
Final Word
While studios have always seemed to crank out these feel good sports movies, there is something about Hoosiers that seems to have always played with more authenticity. Sports films don’t seem to consistently burn up the box office. Hoosiers made less than $30 but it is an institution amongst basketball enthusiasts. Contrast that with We Are Marshall (a football film yes, but you get the analogy), which did $42 million and if you add inflation into the mix the numbers come out about right. However, I don’t know that people are ever going to look at that film with the same reverence that they hold for Hoosiers.
I guess my point is that this movie has stood the test of time. It is loved and watched to this day. You mention this film to people and they get that glow in their eyes. The story might be predictable but that is only because it is universal. It is something that we are able to grasp on to and relate with. Also, I maintain that I love movies because I want to be many of the characters I see on screen. That said, who wouldn’t want to be one of the Hoosiers if not Norman Dale himself?
Should you have this movie in your Blu-ray collection? That’s a no brainer. I just think they should have ported all the extras over from the Standard Special Edition, high def versions be damned!
Hoosiers was released November 14, 1986.
