Monday Night Mayhem is a great movie with Turturro's best performance yet. But my enjoyment of it on Dubai One TV last week was not helped by the censorship of the sequence detailing the massacre of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics by Palastinian terrorists. Sequences in the film are flagged in advance by titles reading, for example, 'Clay v Liston', or 'Superbowl 1959'. The title announcing 'Munich Olympic Games' appeared, but instead of showing Howard Cosell's reporting of the tragic events which occurred, we found ourselves back in New York and on to other events in Cosell's life. Had it not been for the incompetence of whoever made the cut in leaving in the title, I would have been unaware of this censorship. Are TV companies purchasing broadcasting rights to movies allowed to censor them in this way? Piers Jessop.

** Spoilers? **Howard Cosell is the focus and should be, with Roone Arledge a major figure, too. Well written drama brings back pungent memories of the Cosell zingers and why he was one of a kind. And Turturro as Cosell is great casting. Nice story of the risks, messiness, and rewards of creating a new media format. Also a timely reminder of the 72 Olympic massacre in Munich; it brings back a chill. I wish they would have shown more of what football was like pre-Monday Night; it really lets you appreciate the modern spectacle of sports, and viva la spectacle. Definitely worth seeing as a piece of TV history and to hear a great character mouth off with intelligence and class.

Fans of MNF will absolutely love this movie. Fence-stradlers will enjoy it and anti-football fanatics will relish the opportunity to say, "See, I told you they were idiots!" A behind the scenes look at ABC's Monday Night Football, "Monday Night Mayhem" included all the 'well-known' hijinx plus some more obscure shenanigans. Focusing on Howard Cosell (portrayed with grit and depth by John Turturro) and his relationship with producer Roone Arledge, the movie pulls few punches. It doesn't flinch on most incidents, including alleged racism, the infamous 'bird', booze in the booth, gambling and groupies. Best of all are the collage sequences featuring some good tunes and classic commercials from the era. As a child of the 70s, it was nostalgia overload. There are some excellent performances and some lackluster parts but overall it succeeds. I give it a 7/10: solid.

I have been watching Monday Night Football for over 25 years and didnt quite realize the turmoil of the behind-the-scenes. Great dialogue and information came out of this movie for me. Kudos to John Heard and to the Turturro Brothers, they all made this movie very enjoyable to watch. I would suggest this to anyone who enjoys the "spectacle" of Monday Night Football.