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Remember the Titans
Release Date: February 9th 2001
Distributor: Buena Vista International
Certificate: PG
Starring: Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Wood Harris, Ryan Hurst, Donald Adeosun Faison, Craig Kirkwood, Ethan Suplee
Director: Boaz Yakin
Running Time: 113 mins
In Virginia, high school football is king.

It is a way of life, an institution revered and venerated, each game celebrated more lavishly than Christmas, each playoff distinguished more grandly than any national holiday.

And with such recognition, comes powerful emotions.

In 'Remember The Titans' we are taken back to 1971 and to the town of Alexandria. When the local school board are forced to intergrate an all-white school with an all-black school, the people of the town are put to the test.
To try to integrate the teams, a black coach, Herman Boone (Denzel Washington - 'The Hurricane', 'The Bone Collector') is hired from South Carolina and put in as head coach over the already present white coach, Bill Yoast (Will Patton - 'Gone In 60 Seconds', 'Entrapment') who is only a winning season away from entering the Virginia Football Hall of Fame.

Swallowing his pride, and brushing off the outrage of the towns prominent white folks, Yoast sets about working as Boone's deputy. And during a pre-season trinng camp session, Boone with his drill-sergeant discipline and Yoast's support manages to forge two disparate elements into a winning team. Both coaches are men of integrity and honor with a strong work ethic, and although from different backgrounds, they not only mold a group of angry, unfocused boys into a dynamic, winning team, but help to make them responsible, caring young men. Their determination to work together and win is a triumph of the spirit and brings together a town torn by prejudice and intolerance.
This film, based on real events and directed by Boaz Yakin is full of the sort of syrupy emotional moments that bring a lump into your throat, almost every bit of dialogue a speech accompanied by heart-tugging violins - except where the classic 70's rock soundtrack butts in.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer uses 'Remember The Titans' as a counterpoint to his bombastic action movies, and uses all the tricks from those films on the emotional elements of it. But that's not to say that 'Remember The Titans' isn't a good film. Any film which highlights the success' of racial integration must by definition be a good thing and even when the characters are drawn in such broad comic like colours.
American football being what it is, there is much on screen grunting and smashing of bodies as the team goes into battle on the pitch, but the essence of the film remains essentially removed from the game - that racial harmony is possible on and off the football pitch.

A film to see to make you feel good about people...

Clayton Everett