Review of Remember the Titans

Rememmber the Titans is a wonderful film, compelling, compassionate, funny and often moving. It tells the story of a dedicated coach seen tackling the explosive combination of football and racial desegregation in 1970s America. The film is quite ambitious, but it not only really does pack an emotional punch but it does linger long into the memory and is several notches above sports movies I have seen. For one thing, it is slickly directed by Boaz Yakin, and benefits also from wonderful cinematography and a music score of sweeping grandeur, almost epic. Even better than any of these put together, is the marvellous lead performance of Denzel Washington that was worth an Oscar, it seems as though in every film I've seen of his he manages to give a compelling performance and this includes the underrated Cry Freedom. Will Patton matches him perfectly in a smooth, quiet and perhaps low key performance as his counterpart that isn't at all clichéd. Hayden Pannetiere also gives a fine performance, even though I didn't see how her character would ever overcome her differences with her sister. The script is extremely sharp and decisive, the editing is crisp and fast and the football parts are enough to pump up your adrenaline. The epilogue could bring tears to your eyes, as it is so beautifully put. All in all, wonderful film. 9/10 Bethany Cox