the audience applauded

Absolutely Fantastic

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Blistering performances.

This movie has all the ingredients of an epic 9/10. Great cast, great story but still you'll feel something is missing, maybe a great director...I don't know.

A true-to-life portrayal of the aftermath of the early 70's plane crash which killed an entire football team. The angst of the few who missed the flight. The college decides to restart the program after initially putting it on hold. The search for a coach - Jack Lengyel - whom Matthew McConaughey plays exceptionally well. The meeting with Bobby Bowden, a future football Hall of Famer, who graciously allows the new Marshall coaching staff to scout his team. A well-done movie that avoids becoming maudlin. A must-see. I can think of no real 'buts'. One would have wanted to seem more of what became of Jack Lengyel after his short career there. But, after all, this is a story about the college and football team, though he was a major factor.

After two Charlie's Angels movies, you would think a director you would NOT choose to do this film would be McG. Well all I can say is this film-maker has definitely scored a touchdown with this movie! His directing is restrained and he lets the excellent script (by Joe Linden) really shine through great performances from key members of the cast. The true standout is a terrifically charismatic but wonderfully accessible and empathic performance by Matthew McConaughey. He is ably supported by Lost's Matthew Fox, Anthony MacKie, David Strathairn and the rest of the cast who give intense but understated performances. McG wisely lets the performances shine in this movie, but brings strong filmmaking contributions, notably great filming of the football game sequences; the aftermath of a major event early on in the film; Christophe Beck's great musical score, and Shane Hurlbut's stylish but subtle photography.The film's themes are powerful , yet accessible to a wide audience, and some of the emotional reaction comes across as genuine rather than overtly sentimental. Certainly the themes of never giving up, never accepting the status quo, never accepting the easy way out, as well as how people pull together in a crisis to overcome a tragedy, make this a very satisfying and enjoyable film.Congratulations to both cast and crew.

Based on a true story, but still very formulaic. The film could have benefited from being grittier and more realistic. It manages to capture the strong and tragic emotions, but when it tries to be inspirational, it pulls out a series of tacky speeches and slow motion back slaps. The story has a great beginning, setting up a town shattering tragedy. The build up is ominous, but still leaves room for surprise. The cast is littered with fantastic actors, from an uncredited Robert Patrick, Ian McShane, and David Strathairn. Each of them plays their roles very well, and I liked the view of different townsfolk. It would have been nice to see more of the town, as McShane and Strathairn are two of the highlights. It also emphasized the painful loss and the needed hope. It does manage to raise some goosebumps, and its raw power is enough to propel it into the end zone. Moving, inspirational, but less than subtle.