5/9/20 - The Way Back (2020) - 6-/10

& 5/3/20 - The Accountant (2016) - 5/10

A somewhat refreshing sports film where the sport or triumph wasn’t really what it was about. Winning a game wasn’t important and it wasn’t really going to make anything better. The real life sadness and demons weren’t going to be swept away with a championship celebration. That was what was both compelling and depressing - there was no way back to happiness or normality until the bottom was reached.

It was interesting to see a movie where the coach is the total point. Like Blue Chips, but without the fixation being on the sports. It also works well with the set-up for the depression (an easy, strong, and some may say cliche source of drama) because the approach seemed novel and interesting. It also setup well for Affleck to breath sorrowful life into one of his best performances in a while.

He was apart from them and the game. He was able to exorcise and facilitate enough to make them better players, a better team, and better people but like any addict, it was only a front to get by. It just happened to be the only outlet that he hadn’t completely sideswiped.

Overall, decently potent and effective , providing more “umph” than one would have assumed. It’s probably Gavin O’Connor’s third beset sports film (Warrior and Miracle ahead of this), but he has a flair for building good external dramas into the sports trappings. He also has a knack of capturing the essence of the cities he sets his films in; its always something I notice with his work.

Bonus: The Accountant (2016) - 5/10

A “solid while watching but unmemorable” flick. I can’t say that I loved the possible connections of neuro-atypical and questionable morality, let alone the cliched nature with which it is presented. The Jon Bernthal twist was unnecessary and eye-rolley. A bit haphazard with the plotting and the logic at times, but the acting is pretty solid from a pretty decent cast. Nothing I would say go out of your way for, but not bad.