Gut wrenching, enthralling, compelling, inspiring.

Rating: 10/10 (28 May 2007)

I've never been in a cinema before where the audience cheered and applauded at the climax of a film (...and not because they were glad it was over!!). I don't mind admitting that it brought me to tears, and judging by the other snuffles in the cinema, I wasn't the only one.
Will Smith plays this part incredibly, and maybe playing alongside his own son helped him have an empathy with the character. If you are a parent then I suspect you will have to be pretty hard-hearted not to be empathise too.
Just when you think the character's fortune couldn't take another turn for the worse - it does. The fact that this isn't purely fiction makes it all the more heart-wrenching. Even knowing that it must have a happy ending, you just can't possibly see how it can come about.
Any film that makes me want to discover more about the real life characters behind the film is always a sign of success for me. This film & the true story it tells is truly inspiring.