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 GRIDIRON GANG |
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| Featuring: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Xzibit, L. Scott Caldwell, Leon Rippy |
| Director: Phil Joanou |
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Studio: Sony |
| DVD release: 16 January 2007 |
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Runtime: 125 minutes (1 disc) |
| Format: Color, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen, Blu-ray |
| DVD features: Audio tracks (PCM 5.1 Surround - English; Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - English, French), Subtitles (English, French, Spanish, Portugese, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Arabic), 1080p/MPEG-2 (1080p/480p/MPEG-2 - supplements only), Optional writer and director commentary, Deleted scenes, "Gridiron Gang" football training, Phil Joanou profile, The Rock Takes the Field, Multi-angle football scene |
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With a script written by Jeff Maguire based on a documentary by Jac Flanders, Gridiron Gang stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (Doom , The Scorpion King ) as Sean Porter, a probation officer working in a juvenile detention center in Los Angeles. Fed up with the 75% return rate, Porter decides to create a football team to instill pride and discipline in the juvenile offenders. He feels that the self-esteem issues of these delinquents can be helped with the bonding elements of a team sport.
Gridiron Gang doesn't break any new ground; it's simply a very well-done feel-good movie that uses football as the model to create unity among angst-ridden youth of all colors and persuasions.
We've seen these types of movies before. They are the ones where we root for the underdog who along the way experiences some life-altering changes through sport - movies like Rudy , Remember the Titans , and even to some degree Bend It Like Beckham . You could call them predictable or formulaic, but the bottom line is they are fun to watch, and this movie is no different.
Though a tad too long and a little heavy with itsmusical score at times, the film does deliver plenty of entertainment rolled up in a positive message. Johnson gives his best cinematic performance to date. Xzibit (of Pimp My Ride fame) also delivers a solid performance as Porter's co-worker Malcolm Moore, and all the kids in the movie all feel believable. Overall, Gridiron Gang is an enjoyable and inspirational film.
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