DVD Review: Gridiron Gang

By Patrick Luce Jan 19, 2007, 12:17 GMT

Gridiron Gang is worth taking a chance on thanks to solid performances from its cast, good filming, and a “feel good” story that manages to be entertaining.

While Gridiron Gang is predictable and follows the football film formula, it does have plenty of hard hitting action on the field that will please fans of this kind of genre, and some decent performances from its cast of young actors. While the movie may fall a little flat on some viewers, it might also surprise and entertain if given the chance.

Based on a true story, Gridiron Gang was directed by Phil Joanou (who brought us 1990’s State of Grace) and was written by Jeff Maguire (who also wrote the screenplay for Timeline). The film is technically a remake of 1993 television special of the same name. It stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (Doom), Xzibit (TV’s “Pimp My Ride”), L. Scott Caldwell, Leon Rippy, Kevin Dunn, Jade Yorker,  David V. Thomas, Setu Taase, Mo, James Earl, Trever O'Brien, Brandon Smith, Jurnee Smollett, Michael J. Pagan, and Jamal Mixon.

The players find a way to come together despite gang rivalry

Gridiron Gang follows juvenile detention counselor Sean Porter (Johnson) as he tries to reach the kids he is in charge of guarding by forming a football team to help teach them how to be winners and overcome the problems in their lives that have landed them in the detention center – be it gangs, drugs, petty crime, and even murder. Porter, a former football player, is tired of watching the kids leave the center only to end up in prison or dead in the street.

After some heavy persuasion from Porter and his co-worker Malcolm Moore (Xzibit), they manage to find the money to put a team together and a school district division willing to play the team. Next, they form a team and, through the very definition of tough love, Porter slowly starts to teach the kids to respect themselves, have discipline, and forget the gang lines that landed them in juvenile detention.

Gridiron Gang follows the “we are the underdogs but we will rise to the challenge” formula to the letter, but the performances from its cast and filming do help make it entertaining.

For the most part, Johnson shouts his lines, and seems to be like every other interpretation of a football coach that we have seen recently – from Denzel Washington’s performance in Remember the Titans to Billy Bob Thornton’s turn in Friday Night Lights. However, the wrestler turned actor once again shows some of his natural charisma that makes audiences enjoy his performance and it was clear this was a role that he cared about getting right. Porter truly wants to see these kids succeed, and Johnson makes sure this drive is seen clearly on the screen.

Johnson does a good job in the film

The young actors (for many this was their first film) that make up the team all do a good job in their roles, and give the audience a reason to care about what they are seeing on the screen. At times, their characters seem even more formulaic than the film, but this is forgivable given it is a true story. The audience is able to meet the real Porter and his team as the credits roll – which helps in forgiving some of the film’s cliché moments.

Joanou and company make sure the film will please football fans with plenty of big hits during the football games. Camera angles get you right into each tackle with a crisp sound that makes sure you hear each hit. This helps the film feel like a football movie should.

The DVD comes with some fairly standard features that take you into how the movie was made, and features interviews with its cast. The behind the scenes featurettes are fairly predictable and show how the actors got ready for the demands of a football film, short profiles on Johnson and Joanou, and multi-angles of a football scene. There are about 25 minutes of deleted scenes with commentary that explains why they were cut from the film (I feel a director’s cut is on the way or at least a double dip “special edition”).

Although I liked Gridiron Gang more than I thought I would, the film does have some problems – mostly in its formulaic feel and some pacing issues which tend to make the film seem longer than it actually is. While these issues are forgivable, they may turn off some audience members.

Gridiron Gang is formulaic but entertaining

It is another football movie that is based on a true story and follows a team as they overcome adversity to achieve something they never believed they could do. Yes, we have seen this before, and if that isn’t your kind of film then you will want to give Gridiron Gang a pass. With that said, the movie is worth taking a chance on thanks to solid performances from its cast, good filming, and a “feel good” story that manages to be entertaining.

Gridiron Gang is now available at Amazon. As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.