| Product: |
Gridiron Gang (DVD) |
| Date: |
19/06/08 (89 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Great American football scenes, true story
Disadvantages: A bit predictable and formulaic
Who would have thought that The Rock would follow in the footsteps of Denzil Washington (Remember The Titans) and Samuel L Jackson (Coach Carter) and play the part of an inspirational coach? And how many of those people would have actually thought he would make a good job of it?
Gridiron Gang is the true story of a bunch of gang members and juvenile delinquents who are all locked up in Kilpatrick Juvenile Detention Centre on various charges. Sean Porter (The Rock) is a worker there, trying hard to get the kids out of the circle of crime they are caught up in. He wants to get them out of a lifestyle that will almost certainly lead to their deaths at a very young age.
An ex American Football player himself he comes up with the idea of turning a group of his inmates into a team. Giving them something to work at and have pride in. All he has to do is persuade his boss, the coaches of teams at other schools and the kids that it is something worthwhile. That the project will be worth the time, money and effort that it will take. With the centre having a re-offending rate of 75% his boss decides that it is worth giving a go and so the formation of the Kilpatrick Football team takes its first step.
There is nothing especially great about Gridiron Gang but it is very well made and it manages to hit all the right spots. It will never be classed as a great movie, even up against the two mentioned in the first paragraph, because it doesn't really have enough depth to it to be anything other than a real good watch.
It is one of those films that you put on to watch while doing something else but find yourself being distracted by what is going on on the screen just enough to not be able to concentrate on what you had planned to do. Instead you find yourself drawn in to the movie and actually enjoying it far more than you would have thought.
The fact that it is based on a true story is a big part of its appeal. As a fictional film it would, to be honest, have very little in it to make it worth seeing. Instead knowing that all these kids are real and that what Porter went through to get them to believe in themselves makes it a whole lot more interesting.
During the end credits there is a number of little clips taken from the original documentary about Porter and his team. A nice little touch that again adds to the overall experience as you get to not only see the real teenagers and teachers but you also get to see some of the major points of the story as they originally occurred. I loved this as you tend to assume that Hollywood exaggerates some stuff to make a better movie or just to make a scene play better on screen, but in this case you see that most of the major points were filmed EXACTLY as they happened.
The Rock shows a surprisingly mature side, his acting in this is not at all what you would expect from his previous outings. He showed he did have some comedic talent in 'Welcome To The Jungle' but I wouldn't have expected to see him in this kind of role. Of course he was a football player before becoming a wrestler so a lot of what he does is probably second nature for him.
Another big plus for Gridiron Gang, though only if you are an American Football fan, is that the action from the games the team play is very good indeed. The hits look real and there is a distinct lack of over the top, but very visual, plays that you often see in sports films.
All in all Gridiron Gang is a good honest true life and sports movie that is worth a watch, though if you like both genres then I would suggest Friday Night Lights before this one.
Summary: A true story brought to life on screen
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