Gridiron Gang (2006)

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General		Extras
Category	Drama	Audio Commentary-Phil Joanou Deleted Scenes-15 deleted scenes Featurette-Behind The Scenes-The Rock Takes The Field Featurette-Behind The Scenes-Profile Director Phil Joanou Featurette-Behind The Scenes-Football Training
Rating
Year Of Production	2006
Running Time	120:06
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Phil Joanou
Studio Distributor	Sony Pictures Home Entertain	Starring	The Rock Xzibit L. Scott Caldwell Leon Rippy Kevin Dunn Jade Yorker David V. Thomas Setu Taase Mo James Earl Trever O'Brien Brandon Smith Jurnee Smollett
Case	Amaray-Transparent
RPI	$34.95	Music	Trevor Rabin

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1 EX Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 EX
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	Yes

    Gridiron Gang breaks no new ground as an inspirational sports movie, but with good production values and a great performance by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson it gets the job done.

Based on actual events, the film follows L.A. County juvenile-corrections officer Sean Porter (The Rock), an ex-footballer determined to help recidivist juvenile offenders increase their mortality rate after being released from custody. Under the contemptuous scrutiny of his superiors, he forms a football team that slowly gives the inmates direction and begins the long road to rehabilitation.

The script which is almost an amalgam of every sports movie ever made has enough energy behind and before the camera to compensate. Director Phil Joanou, a former Spielberg protégé, brings an unusually honest and brutal menace to the story that doesn't shy from presenting the real danger of juvenile gang violence in America. Any stylistic accomplishments, however, would likely fail if it were not for the presence of The Rock, who is beginning to make a habit out of outclassing his material and fellow actors. His enthusiasm and belief in the story is what anchors the whole film. Not once did I find fault with his performance, in fact I doubt a more accomplished actor could have tackled the part with greater integrity. Hopefully someday soon he will find a project worthy of his talents. Until then, just enjoy what is one of the better sports films of the past couple of years.

Video

    The Gridiron Gang is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1 and is 16x9 enhanced for widescreen viewing

    I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this transfer. There are no aliasing or edge enhancement anomalies tarnishing what is essentially a flawless transfer. Shadow Details are exceptional with strong blacks and no Low Level Noise problems.

    Colours are slightly muted to give the film a documentary feel, but remain natural with no image bleeding.

    The transfer is basically devoid of any Film or Video Artefacts

    This is a great looking transfer of a decent film.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

   The transfer has been given two Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks in English and Spanish.

Dialogue is always clear, and with the exception of the occasional ADR change there are no lip sync problems.

The film's musical score is standard fare for inspirational true sports stories. It is never overly bombastic or intrusive, but neither is it memorable.

Surround channel usage is very well defined, with rear channels filled with directional effects and ambient noise. If only action films were this consistent with their audio presentations.

The subwoofer adds strong reverberation levels when needed.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Audio Commentary:

Deleted Scenes

Football Training

Profile on Phil Joanou

The Rock Takes The Field

   All versions of this title currently available appear the same.

    Gridiron Gang is a better than average rights of passage story with a great performance by The Rock. The extras are decent and the transfer is outstanding. A great little rental.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall