Spike Lee And Denzel Washington Shines

Rating: 10/10 (23 December 2011)

Denzel Washington and writer-director Spike Lee team for the third time with this contemporary basketball drama focusing on a promising athlete, the son of a convict-father entitled,He Got Game.It is sports-drama film written and directed Lee. It stars Washington as Jake Shuttlesworth, a prison inmate convicted for killing his wife. The father of the top- ranked basketball prospect in the country, Jesus Shuttlesworth,played by NBA star Ray Allen, Jake is released on parole for a week by the state's governor in order to persuade his son to play for the governor's alma mater in exchange for a heavily-reduced prison sentence.The film also features Milla Jovovich,John Turturro,Rosario Dawson and Jim Brown with Ned Beatty and John Turturro.
Jake Shuttlesworth has been in prison for six years when tough prison- warden Wyatt tells him that he's getting a temporary parole with the promise of a commuted sentence. However, there's a trade-off -- Jake must talk his son, Jesus Shuttlesworth, the top-ranked high-school basketball player in the country, into signing with the governor's alma mater, Big State. A flashback makes it clear that Jesus' mother was accidentally killed by Jake during a violent family fight. After Jake went to prison, the resentful Jesus was left alone to raise his sister Mary. Now several colleges are offering Jesus scholarships, and montages satirize the manner in which young athletes are wooed by educators and coaches across the country. However, Jake will soon be back behind bars if he can't get Jesus to sign with Big State within the week. Meanwhile, the greed of other family members begins to surface.
The movie presents a realistic view on how athletes particularly basketball players are recruited by universities in their rosters.Aside from that,it also presents a vibrantly colorful father-son melodrama that would touch the viewers.Lee provides an artsy color film feature that was aided by great music from Aaron Copeland and Public Enemy.The story is moving especially when it becomes personal on both Jake and Jesus' part.The performances of Denzel Washington and Ray Allen,in his film debut,are also worthy to be mentioned. Overall,it may not be a great film but it is still worth your time especially for people who loves basketball.