Yes, this is an almost 50 year old made for TV film (hard to imagine but it is) and for it's time during the aftermath of much civil unrest in the USA, the film served it's purpose reflecting the will of two great athletes, Gayle Sayers and Brian Piccolo who although in real life, competed hard against each other on the gridiron, were able to put aside their differences and stay strong for one another as the lesser known Chicago Bears football running back Brian Piccolo was battling testicular cancer.

Not all films end up in a warm and fuzzy romantic embrace, or in this case a great sports achievement such as carrying the SuperBowl trophy over their shoulders. No, in this film, we witness how two real life tough as nails running backs for the NFL Chicago Bears accept one mans fate battling testicular cancer and work their butts off trying to defeat this evil of diseases, cancer.

The producers could not have selected two better actors such as James Caan (Brian Piccolo),Billy Dee Williams (Hall of Famer Gayle Sayers). Their chemistry on screen was undeniable, and the film has warmed many a man's (and women's) hearts through their spirit of giving and loving one another and the race card not being used.

It is a film I watched with my own sons, and soon enough I will have my grandchildren watching it as well as I own both DVD film versions (1971 & 2001 remake starring Mekhi Phifer, Sean Maher).

For a made for TV film it was one of the most anticipated true life stories brought to the television audience and remains one of the very best sports film ever. I give it a perfect 10 out of 10 IMDB rating.

The 1970's gave rise to the "made for TV" movie on a regular basis, and a lot of them were pretty disappointing, with weak stories and poor acting. But then there's "Brian's Song" - which 40 years later still has to rank as one of the best (if not the best) TV movies ever made. It's a "football" movie to an extent, but it's far more than a football movie. It's a story about a friendship that known no bounds and that overcomes a lot of odds. In 1965, Gayle Sayers and Brian Piccolo were rookie running backs for the Chicago Bears. The should have been rivals and not friends. They were competing for starting positions; Sayers was black and Piccolo was white. There should have been too many divides for them to cross to build a friendship, and yet they did build a friendship.

Billy Dee Williams and James Caan were wonderful in these title roles. For I would say two thirds of its short run time (minus TV commercials, it comes in at a little under an hour and a quarter) this is essentially a football movie. The friendship is well developed, but there's a heavy emphasis on training shots and a lot of really good real football footage, mostly of some spectacular runs by Sayers. The movie really takes off though once Sayers suffers a knee injury that knocks him out of the lineup. Piccolo takes his place, and Piccolo wants him back and helps him get back into game shape. For a while they share the backfield, and then the movie becomes a powerful tearjerker, as Piccolo is diagnosed with cancer, and Sayers sees him through his final illness.

Yes, this is a made for TV movie. It's not flashy, but it's good - very good. And it's very moving. You can't help but feel sad as it comes to an end. Let's face it. 26 years olds (football players or not) shouldn't die, but they sometimes do - and it's very sad. But sad though it is, in the end you have to feel uplifted by this movie about the power of a friendship that overcomes all the odds against it. The movie also features a pretty strong performance from Jack Warden as the legendary Chicago bears coach George Halas. You can't ask for much more than this. (9/10)

At under 75 minutes, this TV movie of the week makes its point and doesn't overdo the emotional manipulations of films that deal with death. The character of Brian Piccolo, played by James Caan, is one of the great TV movie characters of all time, and won him great acclaim and assured him movie stardom even though he had been around for a while. The film deals with a real life football hero whose bought with cancer is Brian Piccolo ended a promising career. This film concentrate on his friendship with the very different Billy Dee Williams, playing the quiet Gale Sayers, their friendship transcending race YouTube background, and becoming stronger as Brian's illness gets worse.

The performances of Caan, Williams and Jack Warden as their coach are all very strong, but it's the friendship between the two men that guides this emotional story thanks to a strong script and excellent Direction. It is truly one of the great TV movies of all time, and had it been expanded by another 20 to 30 minutes, I could have easily have seen this being on the big screen and winning Oscars as opposed to Emmys.

Caan's character may be a brash show off from the start, but it's obvious that his desire for friendship with Sayers is sincere and not based on anything other than the fellowship that they feel towards each other. There's a bit of racial tension as another black player indicates his concerns over the growing closeness between them. A few racial epithets are used in a way that makes an instant strong point. Shelley Fabares as his wife doesn't get as strong of material as the men but she is quite moving, as is the stunningly beautiful Judy Pace as Williams' wife. The film really doesn't manipulate any tears, that is until wardens final line the last second that is really crushing emotionally.