The pros and cons in a few words

Rating: 8/10 (13 August 2001)

This film essentially tries to show a very natural and normal occurrence: of an unsuccessful basketball player trying to force his son to succeed.
The aftermath is tragical, but quite realistic. The film, amongst other things is a showcase of the excellent acting of Denzel Washington. He manages to transform from a timid docile man into the beast which he really was before he went to jail in a very subtle and intelligent way. The orchestra music, which accompanies the film, is a nice touch, because otherwise one would expect rap music in a film about a poor black neighborhood. The film is intense, and doesn't leave much space for thinking (but, of course, you have the whole night afterwards, so who's complaining?).
One of the funny hiccups is that the father doesn't tell his son about why he had named him Jesus until their reunion (and he had many opportunities to say that earlier). The aggressive sex scenes are too many and too violent for my taste. If they were meant to show us how difficult it is to become a succesful basketball player, then Lee should have put other equally dangerous "habits", such as drugs, alcohol, etc. in equal amounts.
Anyway, the ending is fantastic, and it DOES tell a message. Watch the film, and you will see what I am talking about.