EXCLUSIVE: ‘Dynasty’ Director Reveals Patriots' 'Buried Treasure!'
When speaking about the New England Patriots historic run of success from 2000-2019, adjectives such as “dominant,” “unprecedented” and “extraordinary” are often used to describe it.
Accordingly, such descriptive words are commonly heard throughout “The Dynasty,” a 10-part docuseries based on the critically-acclaimed New York Times bestselling book by author Jeff Benedict.
The series — whose first two episodes Backup Plan, and The Snow Bowl debuted on AppleTV+ last Friday — was produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard's Imagine Documentaries in association with NFL Films. It was directed by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Matthew Hamachek and chronicles the rise and historic 20-year run of one of the most successful franchises in professional sports.
Hamachek was granted unprecedented access to the Patriots organization while taking perhaps the deepest dive into the Pats’ inner sanctum. In addition to hours of never-before-seen video footage and audio files from the franchise’s archive, the filmmakers were also given access to interview past and present Patriots players, coaches and executives such as Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Tom Brady, Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski and Drew Bledsoe.
New England Patriots “The Dynasty” director Matthew Hamachek (center) and author Jeff Benedict (right)
Cred: ClutchPoints
While the first two parts of this series already have Patriots fans on the edge of their seat from reliving the glory days, its viewers are also clamoring to find new details of some of the more controversial moments of the Pats dynasty.
In an exclusive interview with Patriots Country, Hamachek shared his experiences in journeying behind the Foxboro curtain.
For starters, you are getting the facts straight from those who lived it.
“It was a process, going through almost 35,000 hours of archival footage,” Hamachek said with a grin. “But pairing that with on-camera interviews from the mouths of the people who were actually there was really important to us. Instead of relying on off-the-record, anonymous sources, you get to hear it from those who actually made all this unfold.”
Though die hard Patriots fans may feel a sense of familiarity with much of shared on-field footage, Hamachek is perhaps most proud of the organic, personal nature of some which has yet to be seen. The critically-acclaimed director smiled widely while describing his first conversation with former Patriots defensive lineman Dave Nugent — who roomed with Tom Brady after making the roster in 2000. The pair lived together in a Franklin, Mass., condo purchased from Hall-of-Fame cornerback Ty Law.
“Dave [Nugent] came to me and said ‘I’ve got this really interesting footage of Tom and me living in this condo that Tom bought from Ty Law,” Hamachek recalled. “He asked me ‘Would it be of any interest to you?’ … I said …Uh …Yeah!”
Understandably, the process of taking a look at the humble beginnings of arguably the greatest quarterback to wear NFL shoulder pads quickly became a labor of love.
“When we started looking at it … we felt like we were discovering buried treasure,” Hamachek said. “You get to see Tom before the rings, before the fame and success … he plays [Nintendo’s] Tecmo Bowl, which he bought at a pawn shop … and whether you’re a fan, or not … that’s fascinating.”
The conversation quickly pivoted to Belichick, who emerges as perhaps the most polarizing figure in Hamachek’s work. As expected, the legendary former Pats coach remained a man of few words. Still, Hamachek reflected on his time interviewing Belichick with greater fondness than lament.
“Bill was guarded, and we expected that,” he said of Belichick. “But, I think you will find that he is more candid here than he has been in the past. I was just happy to have him actively participating and he provided some great insight the way only he could.”
Despite the overwhelming interest viewers will have in the words and body language of Brady, Belichick and Kraft, some of Hamachek’s favorite experiences came at the grace of one of the organization’s most enigmatic personalities.
“Getting the chance to interview Ernie Adams … who is sort of this mythical figure within the organization … known as ‘the man behind the Hoodie,’ Hamachek said with a chuckle. “He was one of the first people I reached out to, and to his credit, he gave me 15 hours of material to work with. You can’t ask for better than that.”
Ironically, Hamachek did receive “better” when the typically-unforgiving New England weather gods teamed with Adams to provide the director’s equivalent of manna from heaven. In an attempt set the scene for the team’s infamous “Snow Bowl” divisional playoff (2001) matchup with the Oakland Raiders, Hamachek wished to pair a re-enactment of Adams’ commute that fateful evening with falling snowflakes in Foxboro.
What happened next was a bit of movie magic, coupled with a bit of regional mystique.
“We were set to film Ernie ‘driving to the ‘Snow Game’ —you know, b-roll footage,” Hamachek recalled. “It hadn’t snowed in months and we didn’t know how we were going to make it look like it was snowing.
“Then, as we were having lunch, the skies opened and we got some great footage of Ernie Adams in the snow.”
In the final analysis, Hamachek’s pride in the finished product is palpable in each word he used to describe it. As such, he expressed his sincere hope that all who view the series are able to equally enjoy the both the gridiron insight as well as the personal narrative.
“I think Patriots fans, and NFL fans alike, will be able to watch this and find a deeply human story — the sort that transcends football — one that was really incredible for me to learn about and witness,” he said.
Though he is not a Patriots fan, Hamachek left the project with a deep respect for the franchise, as well as the individual components which helped to define — for better or for worse — a generation of sports and popular culture.
“I think the biggest takeaway is how I sat back and marveled at how these three [Kraft, Belichick and Brady] sustained this success for so long despite their complex relationships,” he said with a hint of admiration. “The fact that they won six [championships] in those 20 years, despite everything that was going on, is just remarkable.”
Hamachek’s Full Interview can be found here:
