Simply magnificent.

Rating: 9/10 (19 January 2002)

A smart nevertheless unforgettable tale of a prisoner (Denzel Washington), who is offered a chance to have his prison sentence reduced if he can persuade his estranged and bitter son (Ray Allen), a highly sought after college basketball recruit, to sign a letter of intent for the governor's favorite college in one week. Writer-director Spike Lee dishes out a simply magnificent story of the never-ending (and outrageous) offers that the son has presented to him besides trying to confront his father. The message that this movie is willing to make isn't forced, but only displayed in such unsettling detail. Washington is fine and Allen himself holds his ground here fairly well.