GLORY ROAD

Starring:
Josh Lucas, Emily Deschanel, James Aaron, Derek Luke, Tatyana Ali, Wes Brown, Mehcad Brooks, Sam Jones, Red West and Jon Voight

Director:
James Gartner

Running Time:
106 mins

"Here is the team"

1966, new Texas Western basketball coach Don Haskins (Lucas) has no money to scout the big players that can make an impact in NCAA division one. Instead he decides to recruit the best black players from around the country and to makeup seven out of twelve players in the squad. Even though they are ridiculed for their showboating and the black are constantly verbally abused, the Texas Western Miners but a run together that could take them all the way to the Championship.

Sports movies are extremely predictable, as you always know they are going to happen at the end but it is the story of how they got there that has to grab you and the good news is that 'Glory Road' scores.

The story of the 1965/66 Texas Western college basketball team is much more than just a team's raise to the championship game. It is the story of how the social and racial problems of the 1960s in the US affected now only community relations but sports. While it was never actually a written rule that you couldn't field a black player on your team, it was assumed that you would only have one while playing at home and two while on the road. Coach Don Haskins changed all that.

Going against convention, especially in the south was a risky move during those times. This was a time of great racial tension is the US. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, the Black Panthers and many other organisations were pushing for racial equality and rights but change was taking time and facing a lot of opposition. Sport has always had the power to break down barriers however and 'Glory Road' shows the impact that the Texas Western college team had not only on the NCAA and sport but also on America in general.

Bringing the NCAA hall of fame legendary coach Don Haskins to life is Josh Lucas. This underrated actor has starred in many a Hollywood blockbuster but still isn't really a household name but he can act. He has a rather aggressive style that might not be suited to mainstream cinema but it works well as the coach trying to produce a winning team. He treats the team as just players, showing each of them the same commitment and the same level of respect, working them hard to attain their goals and Lucas does a good job of portraying this. The young actors bringing the Texas Western Miners to life are some of the best up and coming black actors working in the US today. Derek Luke, Sam Jones, James Aaron, Damaine Radcliff and Mehcad Brooks are excellent as the main players in the team and the ones that have to face the full brunt of the racial slurs and abuse. There are also good supporting turns from Red West as assistant coach Ross Moore, Emily Deschanel as Mary Haskins, Tatyana Ali as Tina Malichi and Jon Voight as Coach Adolph Rupp.

While 'Glory Road' has the predictable ending, it is the background story it has to tell that makes it an interesting watch. The performances add to this but it is the history behind it and the story of how sport can bring everyone together that still rings true, even today.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 with Dolby Digital 5.1, the presentation is good.

BONUS FEATURES

Legacy of the Bear (13.01 mins)
Executive producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Andy Given, Texas Western ex-players Harry Flournoy, Dick Myers, Willie Cager, David Lattin, Nevil Shed, Pat Riley, Willie Worsley, Togo Raily and Eddie Mullins come together to talk about legendary NCAA coach Don Haskins. They talk about his life, his training methods and his career at Texas Western from 1961 to 1999.

Surviving Practice (4.22 mins)
Director James Gartner, technical adviser Tim Hardaway and producer Jerry Bruckheimer talk about Don Haskin taking the practice session with the actors.

Extended interviews (23.27 mins)
Texas Western ex-players Harry Flournoy, Dick Myers, Willie Cager, David Lattin, Nevil Shed, Pat Riley, Willie Worsley, Togo Raily and Eddie Mullins come together to talk about the 1966 team, race relations at the time, the starting line up, the win, the backlash, the significance of the game and what it was like playing with Bobby Joe Hill.

Deleted Scenes (5.54 mins)
Entitled 'Don and Mary in the Gym', 'Frogs in Orsten's bed', 'Award for Rupp' and 'Elevator, these deleted scenes suffer from the lack of a commentary or an introduction.

Alicia Keys Music Video (1.58 mins)
Entitled 'Sweet Music', Alicia Keys introduces and plays her track from the movie. Trailers Previews of 'Eight Below', 'The Greatest Game Ever Played', 'The Shaggy Dog' and 'Annapolis'

OVERALL

The good featurettes and interviews make up for the lack of a commentary track. Fans of the films should be pleased with this DVD release.

DVD

Coach Carter


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2006