Coach Carter *** (2005, Samuel L Jackson) – Classic Movie Review 1563

Director Thomas Carter’s 2005 sports drama stars Samuel L Jackson, who brings a lot of fire and passion to this rather clichéd and over-familiar real-life story of Ken Carter, a controversial basketball coach of the Californian Richmond High Oilers.

Ken Carter, a successful sporting goods store owner, accepts the job of basketball coach for his old high school in a poor area of Richmond,  in western Contra Costa County, California, where he had been a champion athlete. But later in 1999 Coach Carter padlocks the gym and refuses his undefeated high-school players access for failing as a team to keep up their school grades.

The movie is always heartfelt and often rousing, so it’s a pity it goes on far too long, running to 136 minutes and not knowing when to stop. There’s a perfect ending 25 minutes before the actual finish. It’s also a shame that Mark Schwahn and John Gatins’s screenplay sometimes indulges in speechifying and preaching instead of proper dialogue, ending up with some sketchy stereotypes of the team instead of rounded characters.

But Coach Carter is well worthwhile for its good spirit and interesting story, but especially for Jackson’s classy turn. It’s a firecracker of a performance. Jackson is quietly intense and commanding throughout, smouldering quietly, but the times when he erupts into anger are chilling. He creates quite a scary character.

Rick Gonzalez (as Timo Cruz), Channing Tatum (as Jason Lyle), Rob Brown (as Kenyon Stone) and Robert Ri’chard (as Damien Carter) co-star, along with Ashanti, Texas Battle, Denise Dowse and Octavia Spencer. The 25-year-old Tatum had not played basketball before so he needed personal coaching to keep up with the other actors.

Director Thomas Carter’s last name is just a neat coincidence. He isn’t related to Coach Carter.

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1563

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