Footsteps

Footsteps (1972)

*** (out of 4)

Nice made-for-TV drama about a football coach (Richard Crenna) who gets one last shot for a comeback when he goes to a small school to coach defense. He ends up being torn between the head coach (Clu Gulager), a dirty booster (Forrest Tucker) and a woman (Joanna Pettet) who just wants him to do the right thing. FOOTSTEPS is a pretty good little gem that manages to be entertaining throughout its 73-minute running time thanks in large part to a great cast giving great performances. Crenna certainly delivers a strong performance here as he not only has to act tough but also has a lot of quiet moments where he needs to build the character and does so just fine. He's given excellent support from Pettet, Tucker and especially Gulager in his role as a former friend demanding more than anyone should have to give. We also get a nice supporting bit from Ned Beatty and you can spot a young James Woods and Robert Carradine. The film falls into many traps that often come with these made-for-TV movies and the biggest problem is that the material is just way too predictable for its own good and especially the final twenty-minutes when a star player gets injured. It's funny watching this film today because it hits on so many issues that are on the front page of sports today. This includes concussions, players being paid and what coaches will do in order to win.