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At many a time throughout the film, the storyline seemed like another cliché of a sports film about a talented kid from a rough background being trained by an old grumpy harsh coach trying to relive his prior glory days. This was true in a sense, but was pulled off well enough to cover that up. The director and cast were descent for being not very well known. They did a good job in making the situations realistic showing how Drew (our main character) was torn between his loyalties and stuck in his predicament. He was faithful to his brother yet at the same time was used, abused, and put into dangerous situations by his illegal and harmful practices. Thinking that running track could take him to college and a better life, he is mentored by an old coach and neighbor who pushes him to his limits through unusual training methods and teaches him life lessons along the way. Just when you think this couldn't get any more typical, the plot takes an unexpected twist in a Gran Torino Sort of way.
I didn't quite like the high school romance that they threw in there with much of it seeming out of place and corny. While the story was inspiring, I thought that the attempted climax of those feelings failed to get the desired effect. The most touching moment of the film, where Drew breaks through his inner barriers and mentally pushes past the problems in his life, came across as cheesy with too much crying for my taste. The actual physical running and form in the film looked believable and accurate (unlike some sports films I have seen) which always makes it more watchable for people who have been involved in running.
As an avid runner I like the idea of this being brought to audiences not familiar with the sport of track. It shows them that there is more to running than just running like Drew learns in the film from Coach Colman.
6.5/10
score 7/10
RbDeraj 18 January 2015
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3165341/ |
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22-11-2019 07:48:03