Violent: Obnoxious Shooting & Editing

Rating: Null/10 (26 September 2004)

This film is about Denzel and the Avid editing system. Denzel is good, but the shooting & editing is awful - MTV run amuck - and it subtracts from Denzel's perf.
But it is Denzel at better than his Oscar, which should have gone to Russell Crowe anyway. Everything else about this film is somewhat annoying. Denzel does not play nor make us believe he is the alcoholic he is supposed to be. It might not even be possible for him given his face & looks & movie-to-movie screen persona. Then he's an All-American coach for a scene, or two. Just doesn't work.
The movie goes sickly violent after a visually crappy opening act. Some of it is hard to buy.
The raw photography in the film is good, but the editing & effects turns it into overweening junk on-screen.