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We Are Marshall [2006]


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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

There seems to be no end to "beating-the-odds" American football movies these days, but We Are Marshall, based on a true story, is in the top tier of that clutch of movies. Matthew McConaughey plays Jack Lengyel, who becomes head coach--more or less by default--of Marshall University's rebuilding varsity American football team in Huntington, West Virginia, after the school's 37-member team and coaches (and a number of others) die in a plane crash in the Appalachian Mountains on November 14, 1970. Facing an indifferent college president (David Strathairn) ready to shut the football program down, a morose assistant coach (Matthew Fox of Lost fame), and a charged-up player (Anthony Mackie) who missed the doomed flight due to an injury, Lengyel is faced with fielding a new team and putting the players through their paces. There are the usual, perhaps too-familiar, training montages and field action, but screenwriter Jamie Linden and director McG (Charlie's Angels) also draw some very good performances from the likes of Kate Mara and Ian McShane, contributing to an emotional tapestry conveying a powerful sense of how such a sizable loss affects a small community. --Sally Giles


Total disappointment
Review date: 2008-11-22 Rating: 2 out of 10

This film fails on evey level.

There is is virtually no football so it isn't really a sports movie. We only get to learn about one character, the new coach. He is an outsider to the catastrophe that has hit Marshall, so the film flops at an emotional level. There is tradegy and emotion but there is no journey.

The key moment in the whole Marshall story was the decision by the adminstrators to carry on with the football programme. That was dealt with very badly in the film.

I should say that the actors are not at fault for this film failing. The fault is with the writers and director. To not produce at least an average film, about such a great story, is a crying shame.

I wouldn't recommend this to anyone as entertainment. As a piece of social history, I wouldn't recommend it either. The story as portrayed isn't credible and is very incomplete.

If you still want an emotional story about football, then get the excellent "Friday Night Lights" series.



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Reviews


Yuk
Review date: 2008-11-17 Rating: 2 out of 10

Judging by the reviews already left on Amazon I very much doubt that many people will agree with me about this.But the whole point about writing a review is to be honest and this movie was awful.

It is based on a real life tragedy and at the start of the movie I did actually think that it might be OK.We are then subjected to the most blatant and cynical overblown scenes of emotion purely designed to make you cry.This is the type of movie that I can't stand.I don't mean an emotional film because when they are done correctly they can melt even the hardest of hearts.'It's A Wonderful Life','Schindler's List' and even 'Eight Below' never fail to tug at the heartstrings and are very well made without being overly sentimental.'We Are Marshall' deals with a horrible tragedy in a sickly and calculating way and so many scenes made me wince with their awfulness.Hear the music swell as yet another actor gets tears in their eyes.It's just so overdone.

Quite what that fine actor Ian McShane is doing in this is beyond me.No wonder he looks bored.This just isn't my bag at all and I can only give it one star.

Great film!!
Review date: 2008-08-02 Rating: 10 out of 10

This is a pretty straight-forward film that will never win any awards. But a movie doesn't have to win awards to be good. And this is a great example. The story is sweet and touching, and as another reviewer said, induces random moments of blubbing. The characters (for a pleasant change) are all decent, nice people, which helps you love the film even more. I wasn't really expecting much before I watched it, but We Are Marshall is just quality.

WE-ARE-MARSHALL!!!!!!
Review date: 2008-05-14 Rating: 10 out of 10

Uplifting and incitefull.
If you are a football fan, then you just have to have this in your collection.
This film epitomises everything that makes this the best sport in the world.
The reviewer above me has summarised very well , but to add my 'two cents', would like to say, if you don't know much about (American) football , you can still watch this and come away knowing what has happened. Although there is some field action, the story focuses alot on the relationships within the team and how the townsfolk bounce back to make Marshall a force once again in the NCAA.
Nice performance from Ian McShane too ;-)
There is also a special feature; Legendary coaches~ how coaches overcome adversity, and a theatrical trailer.
If you don't buy this film, at least rent it.


A Real Gem
Review date: 2008-02-18 Rating: 10 out of 10

I love US sports movies, and as a big fan of American college football this was a movie I was looking forward to seeing. I was definitely not disappointed, this film is an emotional roller coaster, and I must confess to a good blub at certain points. McConaughey is not a big favourite of mine, but is outstanding as Jack Lengyl, the coach who tries to rebuild the devestated Marshall University football programme. He is a quirky character who provides some light relief, but McConaughey also shows Lengyl was a fine and dedicated coach, David Strathairn is also very good as the University Chancellor who decides to rebuild the football team against the wishes of many. This is a really good film, not just a good sports movie.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Matthew McConaughey
Matthew Fox
David Strathairn
Anthony Mackie
Ian McShane

Creators:
Matthew McConaughey (Primary Contributor)
Matthew Fox (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
EAN: 7321900835121
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2007-10-22
Audience rating: Parental Guidance
Region code: 2
Running time: 126 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2006
Language: English (Original Language)

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