Finally got out to see Glory Road a few days ago. It was an unusual experience, seeing events I've known about, people I've known and watched for a long time, portrayed by actors onscreen.
The movie itself has earned mixed reviews, and I'd grade it a B. Not bad for a sports movie. There were a few nice touches to the story, such as Coach Haskins himself making a cameo early in the film as a gas station attendant.
Some annoying hollywood touches were there, too. Warning: spoilers beyond the break.
Bruckheimer and crew don't trust the actual story to carry the movie, and add a violent racist incident for dramatic tension. The games themselves were altered to the point of almost pure fiction as well. UTEP Texas Western played very few close games that year, even the championship game against Kentucky wasn't very close. You might notice, too, that there is no semi-final game in the movie. The Miners go straight from beating Kansas to playing in the final game. Of course in the movie version the Kentucky game is a cliffhanger, and the Miners' accomplishment is somewhat cheapened by it. The reality is they showed themselves to be the dominant team in that game. As for my earlier fear of dumbing down the players, there was some of that, too.
One nice feature at the end of the movie was a 'where are they now' sequence, showing the players as successful businessmen and community leaders later in life. If you go, be sure to stay for the credits, when the actual players, including Don Haskins and Pat Riley, add some comments.
Posted by Walter at February 7, 2006 02:46 PM