A Will Smith tour de force

Rating: Null/10 (14 April 2007)

I was reluctant about sitting down and watching this film due to the fact that I assumed it would be the usual social injustice and rags to riches movie with all of Hollywood's latest political cliché's that normally come with it, but I came away very impressed and will now put myself into the category of - Will Smith fan.
Smith is one of the actors today that comes off the screen as a natural - making it look easy. His past roles in comedy and action films have not been among my favorites (though I did like "I Robot") because a lot of actors can do the same thing in similar type movies. But in this drama he is absolutely riveting. His performance is not over the top, which it could have been designed that way. Many films of this type do approach it that way in order to bludgeon the movie-goer over the head with its message - but this one does not, which is why it works. Smith handles the drama and tension of a man being pushed to his limits with such sharp subtlety that the emotion builds as the story moves along, that in the end you are right there with him, cheering him on, when all his efforts are finally rewarded.
The scene where he is at the playground with his son with no home to go to is one of many moving scenes but this one particular scene really hit home. I have to include the dialogue - "You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can't do something themselves, they wanna tell you that you can't do it. You want something? Go get it. Period." The way Smith handles the character of Chris and his problems and endless obstacles with dignity is what stands out the most. It's inspiring, and every scene with him in it is memorable. A possible award winning performance in my opinion.