Glad you decided to do another reality based story, Denzel

Rating: 9/10 (12 July 2001)

After the movie about the fighter that Denzel Washington has recently starred in (and I'm ashamed to say I don't remember the name), I heard an interview wherein Denzel Washington said that he wasn't all that interested in doing another story based on a real life as his next movie. And I can understand his concern, there is such a thing as type-casting. But I, for one, am very glad that he changed his mind. I'll see a Denzel Washington movie any day, but what his name brought me into this time was a story I might not otherwise not have been all that interested in. I have to be in the mood to get into a sports movie - they can be very hackkneed - a good reason why I haven't seen the movie about that boxer. I admit I might have been interested in a movie about a coach after Mike Krzyzewski proved himself so well this year (yes, I'm a Duke fan) and knowing that he's a great person with his players and in general. Still, I probably would have passed if not for Washington. At any rate, this wasn't a movie just about a coach, even one that we should be proud of - it was also the story of his players. It was just plain moving and we can thank Denzel Washington's fame for bringing it to the fore.