Better than you may expect; A noble film.

Rating: 6/10 (22 August 2008)

Impressed by a clip of this film showing Carter's hardened approach to training his players on Film4's daily preview, I decided to sit down and watch this film.
As the opening credits took place, two features stood out: (1) the MTV Films logo; and (2) 'Based on the life of Ken Carter'. As the film started, I admittedly began to dread attempting to watch this film, but I hoped that by viewing all the events portrayed in the film as being true, the film would surpass my initial prejudice.
All I can say is that this is a good film, and a cut above everything else of its nature. Its message of determination and success is clear and welcomed, and its actors (young and old) prove to be convincingly genuine. As far as the plot goes, although it does slow down a bit after the end of the tournament, it eventually picks up and proves to be a great story overall. This film certainly showed me.
Okay, the film isn't exactly a masterpiece. It's not the most thought-provoking of films, nor is it an emotional roller-coaster like the best films are. However, the film succeeds at achieving what it set out to do - to tell the true story of a man determined to never deny his beliefs, and by doing so, give hopeless kids a better future. I can't help but respect the characters in what they achieve through the course of the film, and I hope that if you watch the film that you do too.