Susan Granger’s review of “REMEMBER THE TITANS” (Walt Disney Pictures)
Back in 1971, when high school football was everything to the residents of Alexandria, Virginia, local officials were forced to integrate the schools and hire a black man, Herman Boone, as head coach of the T.C. Williams Titans. First, he and the older, beloved white coach with more seniority, Bill Yoast, had to learn to work together. Then they were faced with molding a group of rebellious teenage boys into a winning team while teaching them valuable lessons about becoming men. Their respect, friendship and determination healed a town torn by fear, ignorance and prejudice. Based on a true story, scripted by Gregory Allen Howard, first-time director Boaz Yakin propels the gradual process of discovery and bonding among the participants. A highlight is the pre-dawn cross-country run, culminating at the Gettysburg Battlefield, where Boone notes: “50,000 men died on this same field fighting the same battle we are still fighting today…If we don’t come together on this hallowed ground, we too will be destroyed.” Denzel Washington radiates intensity as the tough-yet-fair taskmaster Boone, who divides his enraged players into color-blind squads, offense and defense, at training camp, saying, “football is about controlling that anger, harnessing that aggression to achieve perfection,” reminding them how, in mythology, the titans were greater than the gods. Bill Patton strikes a different note as the gentle, quiet, taciturn Yoast with his precocious, outspoken, football-obsessed daughter (Hayden Panettiere) who provides comic relief. What distinguishes this film is its honesty, a credit to the young ensemble actor/players. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Remember the Titans” is an inspirational 8, an emotionally-uplifting testament to the power of the human spirit.
