He Got Game...got game!

Rating: Null/10 (8 December 2004)

With the combination of Spike Lee and Denzel Washington together for one film, it's destined to be worthwhile. This film follows Lee's unique directing style and Denzel's outstanding acting ability to make a dark, eye-opening work of art.
Jake Shuttlesworth (Washington) is put in prison for the murder of his wife.
He has not had a civil conversation with his son, Jesus (Ray Allen) since then, but years later he is offered a shorter prison sentence if he can convince Jesus to play basketball for Big State University. As the two confront the past and struggle to accept each other's lives, basketball is all they have in common. Jesus and his girlfriend Lala (Rosario Dawson) are both faced with the harsh reality of greed, sex, drugs, bribery, and the gritty life of professional basketball. Meanwhile, Jake copes with life as a lonely felon while mending his relationships with his children. The film allows the audience to get to know each character on a deeply personal level and in an entertaining way.
Lee uses very creative filming techniques to make potentially boring sequences intriguing and engaging. From introducing Jesus' basketball team to reading letters, the shots and angles are continually changing on-screen. The most effective technique would have to be the editing of parallel scenes between father and son, showing their athletic similarities and identical mannerisms unbeknownst to them to the audience. As always, Denzel Washington gives a brilliant performance. Ray Allen, a professional basketball player, portrays the character of Jesus. He makes a fairly weak actor, but his role is strengthened by his costars Washington and the under-rated, Dawson.
He Got Game was a surprisingly enjoyable film. It was able to balance the contrast between attention grabbing basketball scenes and emotional father-son moments. The film portrays the bitter truth of professional sports, as awful and selfish as it can seem, making it darker and more graphic than many people prefer. I would recommend this film to anyone, especially to sports or Denzel fans. Overall, He Got Game was an exciting, beautiful, and well-made film showing what it takes to "have game" whether it's on the court, or behind the camera.