Blue Chips (1994)

Blue Chips: Directed by William Friedkin. With Nick Nolte, Mary McDonnell, J.T. Walsh, Ed O’Neill. A college basketball coach is forced to break the rules in order to get the players he needs to stay competitive.

“u0026quot;Blue Chipsu0026quot; is a vastly under-rated sports film which deals with the shady dealings of colleges and their players. Nick Nolte plays a college basketball coach who is so desperate to return to his glory days that he breaks the rules by giving his newest recruits (Shaquille Ou0026#39;Neal, Anfernee Hardaway, and Matt Nover) basically anything they and their families want. School alumnus J.T. Walsh is the catalyst to these shady dealings and now the college has a winning team again, but at what price? u0026quot;Blue Chipsu0026quot; is another one of William Friedkinu0026#39;s films that is much deeper than it first appears on the surface. With the exception of u0026quot;The French Connectionu0026quot; and u0026quot;The Exorcistu0026quot;, this is his finest film as a director. His documentary-style makes you feel as if you are in on all the action. Numerous parts are played by real basketball players and coaches, adding a great bit of realism to the story. u0026quot;The French Connectionu0026quot; benefited from this style by having real cops in key roles and u0026quot;The Exorcistu0026quot; did the same having priests play themselves. Shaquille Ou0026#39;Neal, Anfernee Hardaway, and Matt Nover do surprisingly well with the material. They are all three-dimensional characters and shine throughout the film. However with that said, it is Nick Nolte who is the primary factor that makes the film well worth while. Far from perfect, but still a very good movie. 4 out of 5 stars.”