A Titanic Struggle

Rating: 8/10 (28 June 2014)

Disney films have a tendency to be laden with schmaltz but Remember the Titans is not overly hampered by that sickly sweetness. There are genuinely uncomfortable scenes in the first half - with pithy dialogue and plenty of confrontation. The lines and sentiments are very clearly drawn. An inspirational performance from the masterful Denzel Washington holds together what is a moving portrayal inspired by real events. Grid-iron fans should find the football scenes, where many such movies fail, reasonably convincing, and the second central relationship between Julius (Wood Harris) and Gerry (Ryan Hurst) is well handled and sensitively portrayed, every bit as convincing as the rivalry between Washington and Will Patton's characters. The second half does become a bit worthy, and sometimes clichéd, treading the same ground as the majority sports movies that have gone before, but Remember the Titans has an advantage over these in that it confronts much bigger issues. Well worth a look.