cast :
crew :
release date :
Spike Lee’s late nineties basketball movie mixes an urban soundtrack and the intensity of Denzel Washington with the poetry in motion of the basketball court.
Washington plays a prison-restrained father Jake Shuttlesworth serving 15 years for contributing to his wife’s death. He has a passionate love for basketball, which he shares with his son Jesus (Ray Allen), the prodigal son of high school basketball. His talents have not gone unnoticed as colleges are queuing up to secure his membership. The state governor is desperate for Jesus to attend his college and his father, Jake, is promised a reprieve from his sentence by his Warden if he can persuade his first-born. The film follows Jake’s journey towards completing this mission.
The backdrop of classical music is represented by Aaron Copland, played first in the opening credits, as we watch people of all ages, races, and genders dribbling, faking and alleyooping. We are presented with the concept of people being brought together by this ball game, a theme that runs throughout the film and a metaphor for its conclusion.
The protagonist Jake is a free man, for a matter of days, and with his limited money his first objective is to find female company. This comes in the form of Dakota Burns (Milla Jovovich), a woman who appreciates his kindness, as he in turn is intrigued and protective of her naivety. His concern is not so much her being a prostitute as the way she is treated by her pimp, Sweetness (Thomas Jefferson Byrd).
Jake’s sensitive nature is brought to the fore by this woman as he pays her significantly for not just sex, but also her conversation and company. As almost a throwback to ‘Taxi Driver’ (1976), Sweetness angers Jake and his heroic nature is brought into action as he rescues the damsel in distress.
It is easy to take a glance at the characters in the film and presume that Lee is portraying the woman with misogynistic ferocity. However, on closer inspection the women are not so one dimensionally whore-like. Dakota is a decent human being whose low self-esteem has caused her to believe that she is making the most of herself and that her pimp is looking after her. Jesus’ girlfriend, despite being a cheat to her long-term partner, is just the yang to her boyfriend’s ying, as both demonstrate free willing unfaithfulness.
Lee’s deft touches are the most enjoyable moments of the film as he demonstrates the power struggle between father and son with almost un-noticeable low-key drama and dialogue that his Hollywood counterparts should learn from. Jake’s regret at the content of his character, an adrenaline filled rebel, is spelled out in his frustration to communicate his genuine sorrow of the death of his wife, whilst simultaneously being completely self-driven to secure his release from prison.
Jesus mimics his father’s primal instincts, shouting at and shaking his sister when she talks to Jesus about their father, and enjoying meaningless sexual encounters on a visit to a prospective college. He also shares Jake’s more likeable qualities, his warmth, and his charm. They are both, as Dakota remarks of Jake, “slick”. When they share a showdown to determine Jesus’ college destiny, as the film approaches its climax, the power has shifted. In a match-up of ‘Star Wars’ like comparability, it is now Jesus that possesses unbeatable basketball talent over his father.
Jesus’ main reason for refusal to comply with his father’s wishes lie not only in his direct involvement with the death of his mother, but also a deep lying disappointment with Jake as a father. Nostalgic clips at the start of the film show Jake trying to live vicariously through his son, pushing him hard on the court in an attempt to make a basket balling machine, but pushing him at the expense of love or care. Jake’s alcoholic intake whilst dominating his son adds to his temper, and his aggressive nature. When he commits the same mistake later in the film, as he attacks the man that Jesus’ girlfriend is cavorting with, it is hard to see where Jake has learnt from his mistakes. However, his regret at the death of his wife is never in doubt, as he visits her grave, kissing the stone. This would be a routine occurrence for a sensitive soul, but for the primal Jake this carries heart and meaning.
The plot is simple, but the dialogue makes the movie. Jake, a confrontational felon, immediately finds the support of the viewer when crossed with the aggressive police. As he journeys in the police car to his bed and breakfast his poor health is met with disdain as Spivey (Jim Brown) tells him “we don’t give a shit about you, or you being as sick as a dog”. Jake’s charm comes to the fore as he takes such bad treatment on the chin “Hey I ain’t mad at nobody, ya know what am sayin?” The interaction between Jesus and his girlfriend when they both admit to knowing that the other has been unfaithful captures the relationship between teenagers; an almost throw away care for each other “Don’t think I don’t know about that De Andre kid neither. Did you fuck him?” “So, what!”
The visuals include aesthetically pleasing camera shots that cut between dialogue and what the characters are describing. Such as when the Warden (Ned Beatty) and Jake discuss Jesus and the visuals show Jake on the court with a younger version of his son. Later in the conversation the Warden relays what will happen to Jake when he is broken out of prison, as pictures show the events already occurring. This helps the visuals match the fast-paced dialogue.
This film does not fall into the typical basketball movie bracket. One of its strengths is that there is not a focus on ‘Hollywood’ moments. There are no overly complicated motivational speeches and no last-minute victories snatched from the jaws of defeat. This allows for the characters to breathe and become more accessible; Jesus, his sister, Dakota, and Cops Spivey and Crudup (Joseph Lyle Taylor); all straightforward enough personalities that can ultimately be taken at face value. Jesus and Mary (Joseph Lyle Taylor) are driven by independence and achievement, so ultimately survival. Dakota and the police are career driven, money driven, but ultimately survival driven. The only character that doesn’t fall into this one-dimensional template is Jake. He presents himself as a strong father figure, but his genuine care for his children is hard to believe. Motivated by personal gain he jeopardises the progress of his children in order to be freed from prison when he returns to their house. Causing more upset than joy, including a momentary division between Jesus and his sister Mary as Jesus loses his temper and makes his little sister cry. Even if freed from prison it is hard to believe that he would be an ever-present father. Jake’s influence on his son proves to be as significant as that of the round ball as Jesus, after much deliberation, decides upon signing for Big State, the Governor’s college. He turns down higher profile colleges with more glamorous perks to help his floundering father. The decision however proves to be redundant as Jake is forced to serve his full sentence.
In a symbolic paradox the film climaxes with Jake and Jesus both shooting hoops, Jesus at his new college, and Jake in the prison yard. Jesus is a product of Jake, and though they share many character traits, their lives are completely contradictory. The world is Jesus’ oyster, he will be financially stable for life, he has family and friends, and he is doing what he loves. Jake will spend 15 years lonely in a cell, most probably with a shortage of visitors.
The finale is the film’s weakest point, as Spike Lee falls into indecision’s trap by not providing a definitive ending. The viewer is left with more questions than answers. Has Jesus forgiven his father? What happened to Dakota? How will Jake cope with fifteen years in prison? It seems that Lee avoids answering these questions because he is side stepping both the traditional Hollywood happy ending and a devastating conclusion such as Jake’s suicide or Jesus vowing never to forgive his Father. Despite such an anti-climax the film is very enjoyable, with interesting and explosive characters, slick camera work and well-written dialogue. Those that are expecting a typical overly dramatic Hollywood basketball movie will be pleasantly surprised.
Country: USA
Budget: £12.8m
Length: 131mins
Filmography:
‘Taxi Driver’, 1976, Martin Scorsese, Columbia Pictures Corporation
Pub/2008
More like this:
'Last Exit to Brooklyn', 1989, directed by Uli Edel
'The Crying Game', 1992, directed by Neil Jordan
'American Beauty', 1999, directed by Sam Mendes