Overview
A convict finds purpose and camaraderie through the game of football, but at a cost.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- tough
- irreverent
- brutal
- sports movie night
- 1970s film marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film tough, funny, politically suggestive, and energized by Burt Reynolds, while noting its slow buildup and unsubtle brutality.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Paul Crewe recruits inmates whose participation gives them confidence while challenging the prison guards' authority.
Warden Hazen offers Crewe early release if he manipulates the game, placing self-interest against loyalty to the inmate team.
The football match is organized by the prison administration and reflects the coercive relationship between guards and prisoners.
The film pairs bone-crunching football collisions and prison violence with broad jokes and an irreverent ensemble.
Films like The Longest Yard, and why
Victory
shared prison setting, bruising sports competition, tough humor, and institutional power conflict
Necessary Roughness
shared American football focus, ensemble camaraderie, physical comedy, and underdog competition
The Replacements
shared prison-film setting, confrontational authority figures, masculine ensemble dynamics, and gritty comic tone
Any Given Sunday
shared sports-drama structure, redemption themes, and heightened competitive spectacle
Movie Details
- Director
- Robert Aldrich
- Release Date
- 1974-08-21
- Runtime
- 121 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (339)
Cast
- Burt Reynolds
- Eddie Albert
- Ed Lauter
- Michael Conrad
- James Hampton
- Harry Caesar
- John Steadman
- Charles Tyner
- Mike Henry
- Richard Kiel
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Longest Yard about?
- A disgraced quarterback turns a prison football game into a bruising fight for inmate pride while the warden pressures him to betray his team.
- What is The Longest Yard like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Longest Yard as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Longest Yard violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Longest Yard as brutal.
- What did critics think of The Longest Yard?
- Critics broadly found the film tough, funny, politically suggestive, and energized by Burt Reynolds, while noting its slow buildup and unsubtle brutality.
- Which films are like The Longest Yard?
- Films with a similar feel include Victory, Necessary Roughness, The Replacements, and Any Given Sunday.
- How long is The Longest Yard?
- The Longest Yard runs 121 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Longest Yard?
- In United States, The Longest Yard is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
