One of the best sports movies I've seen

Rating: 9/10 (2 January 2015)

Really great football movie following a West Texas High School team from an dying town where "winning isn't everything, its the only thing." The movie is based on a super popular book and chronicles the entire 1988 season of the Permian High Panthers.
Its been filmed almost documentary style, so that at times the camera work is shaky (always hard hitting) and you really get to know all the characters involved on and off the field (players, coaches, mothers, fathers, pastors, boosters, fans and families struggling with ongoing personal conflicts.) These boys all want to escape their small town and the pressure placed on them from family and the townsfolk is enormous, with the general theme being that this fight for the state championship will be the most important thing they ever do with their lives.
There are some great performances here, Billy Bob Thornton as Coach Gary Gaines is kinda mind-blowing, he is just so good. I mean all he really does is spout off football-isms but wow, he also conveys so much more. And Tim McGraw was a huge surprise here as an abusive alcoholic, reliving his glory days father to one of the players (complete A-hole). Lucas Black also impressed as did the storyline following Boobie and his Uncle, just heartbreaking. Up there as one of the best sports movies I've seen. 11/5/14