Long Gone (1987) Reviews

• Great Baseball Movie

  kgh23322003-11-08

  This is one of the most underrated baseball movies of all time. Bull Durham was great but got bogged down near the end. Long Gone not only told a great baseball story but managed to mix in a love story and a story about race relations without becoming didactic. Quite a feat. I love this movie!

• Great baseball movie!

  KidRalph2004-10-27

  How this movie only warranted an HBO premiere and not a theatrical run is astounding. Before "Bull Durham" or "Major League," "Long Gone" is the ultimate tale of "down on their luck baseball team turns things around." I know, it's been done a dozen times, but I love this movie. Yes, the clichés are all there: "coulda been a star" fading veteran, his love interest, the doe-eyed rookie, the guy who can't get a break, the losing streak, and all that, but this film still works. The dialogue is crisp, the characters are very sharp, and the 1950s setting of the movie is great, shades of a simpler time when base ball was just a "boys game" like the main character Stud Cantrell (played by CSI's William Peterson) says, where "you hit the ball, you run like hell." The movie touches on real issues from the time as well: premarital sex, racism, and the the like, but never gets preachy. And the ending to the "big game" is one of the more unique I've ever seen (and I've seen a lot of them). The soundtrack is great, featuring gospel, honky-tonk, and some classic Hank Williams. It's not Shakespeare, just a fun romp with a great cast and a great story. Highly recommended!

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• A great little movie

  Rosabel1999-07-25

  Baseball fans can't help but enjoy this film. It's an old story, about a team of losers who make it into a pennant race, but unlike other variations on this theme, it's thoroughly believable. The team takes off when they acquire two new players - a youngster straight off the farm who's a terrific second baseman, and a gifted black catcher whose arrival stirs controversy in the Klan-influenced small town. There are the usual behind-the-scenes machinations one expects, but the film is great in presenting a lot of ballpark scenes, and the final game of the season is played with growing suspense and excitement. The actors are all great, especially Virginia Madsen as Dixie Lee, a woman who looks trashy but quickly shows she's got more guts and integrity than 50 "nice" girls put together. Another performance to note is that of Teller in an unusual speaking role as the sneaky Hale Buchman Jr.; he and Henry Gibson as his father do a great job as the proprietors of a seedy department store and owners of the local team - "sports moguls" as they see themselves. There is a lot to like in this little film.

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• Best baseball movie ever made.

  eptcb6582003-05-12

  The movie "Long Gone" starring William Petersen, Virginia Madsen, and Dermot Mulroney is easily the best baseball movie ever made. It has the best combination of humor and fun and is much better than "Bull Durham" - the movie to which it is often compared. Whereas "Bull Durham" is pretty good for the first seven innings (the first 7/9ths of the movie) and has one great scene (the meeting on the mound), "Long Gone" is great throughout. You pull for everyone in "Long Gone". If there is any movie that deserves to be on DVD, it's "Long Gone". It's easily number one on my list of movies not already on DVD.

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• Best Baseball movie ever!!

  RPKingery2002-07-08

  This is my favorite movie of the 80's. My brother and I (die-hard baseball fans) used to watch this movie almost every day. It's probably one of the best accounts of minor league baseball played down in the south during the days of the Klan. If you can find this movie, I highly suggest you sit down and watch. You won't regret it.

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