A quality sports film

Rating: 7/10 (7 December 2009)

Directed by James Gartner, Glory Road follows the story of the 1966 Texas Western basketball team. New to the program, the coach (Josh Lucas) recruits players to win. Bucking the trend he recruits not based on color but on skill, ending up with a diverse team. The Texas Western fan base does not approve in the beginning but by the end of the movie, the whole college is behind the team. Fighting through adversity from within the team and from some towns they visit, the players ban together and win the National Championship. This is the first to team to win with only black players. Good acting and directing creates a compelling movie with and exciting atmosphere. Beginning with almost nothing Lucas goes on a recruiting trip to find his players. Here he meets the soon to be stars. These scenes of him in the living room, on the hardwood, or on the streets connect the viewer to the coach. Once he has the team together the first game the players are announced, as they walk on to the court the get applause, until the first black players walk on. This sets the stage for their battle against racism throughout the whole movie. One emotional scene occurs in a diner where one of the players is jumped. Just before the title game with an all white Kentucky, the players get lectured on how they are not supposed to be able to play for a title and should not be there. The next day they go out and do the impossible; beat perennial power Kentucky and capture the title with all black players. Although it followed the tradition underdog sports story closely, this movie stood out through its involvement of racial issues. The game scenes were shot from three different perspectives, the coach, the players, and the fans. By doing this the director allowed more view points to be seen and the viewer to follow the game better. I enjoyed this movie and would recommend it to anyone in search of a good sports movie with a little more to it.