remember the titans

Remember The Titans is based on the true story of an African American football coach hired by a Virginia high school in 1971. Denzel Washington plays the dictatorial Coach Herman Boone who arrives at T.C. Williams High School facing the unenviable job of replacing the successful and beloved Coach Bill Yoast and of coaching the Titans during its first year of integration. Neither man is happy with the situation, particularly Yoast who now finds himself under Boone, but their discontent is minimal compared to the resentment felt by his players who now find their positions under threat from the new black students who themselves aren't exactly thrilled by the situation.

The tension between both factions erupts during training camp when the old team leader Gerry Bertier (Hurst) squares off against Big Julius Campbell. Following the brawl, both men form a close bond and when Coach Boone forces each player to ask questions of and get to know each other, the hostility is replaced by understanding and tolerance. It's a feeling not so readily shared by the other citizens of Alexandria, the predominantly white town in which the school is located.

By paralleling the team's fortunes with the issue of integration you cheer for the Titans' success on the field as you cheer for their unity off it. Although based on a true story, it's hard not to think that director Boaz Yoakin and writer Gregory Allen Howard have played liberally with its authenticity in their shameless quest to rouse emotions. Everything is rousing, from the impassioned speeches, including Boone's own Gettysburg address, to the music. Indeed, at times you wonder whether they were tempted to make a musical as the players launch into impromptu singalongs at the drop of a helmet.

The players are plucked from a well-worn selection of clichés, from the blond Californian quarterback, through the obligatory fat person who is the source of ridicule. Despite the token characterisation, as with any sporting film it's not about the individuals. It's about the team. And inevitably, as with most sporting films, the result is never in doubt.

Remember The Titans may be corny and predictable, but it succeeds on its own terms. It doesn't purport to be some lofty racial polemic, it simply deals with the issue on a provincial level. And at the heart is another convincing display by Denzel Washington who as ever is able to imbue his character and the film with dignity and integrity.