We Are Marshall [Blu-ray]

Buy This Item We Are Marshall [Blu-ray] by Warner Brothers  Available from Amazon  $23.95  on 11-16-2008     Warner Brothers We Are Marshall (Blu-ray) Based on true events,"We Are Marshall" tells the inspiring story of how a small town in West Virginia, steeped in the rich tradition of college football, struggled to cope with a devastating loss and restore their community after one of the worst disasters in the history of American sports. On the evening of Saturday, November 14, 1970, a chartered jet carrying Marshall University's football team, coaches and fans, was on its way home from a hard-fought game in North Carolina. Less than a minute before its scheduled landing at Tri-State Airport, the plane crashed in the Appalachian Mountains, killing everyone aboard: 37 players, eight coaches and university staff, the flight crew, and 25 prominent Huntington citizens who had made the trip as they always did tocheer their "Thundering Herd." In the aftermath of this stunning tragedy, university president Dedmon (David Strathairn) prepared to suspend the school's football program for the season--perhaps indefinitely. Assistant coach Red Dawson (Matthew Fox), who narrowly missed the ill-fated flight, couldn't face going back onto the field. But in Huntington, Marshall football has always been more than a sport: it's a way of life. And this town would rally to save it. After some initial setbacks, they found hope and strength in the leadership of outsider Jack Lengyel (Matthew McConaughey), a young coach determined to rebuild Marshall's football program and, in the process, help to heal the community. Less than a year later, on September 18, 1971, Marshall University's brand new Thundering Herd waspoised to stage one of the greatest comebacks in collegiate sports. A raw, youthful and inexperienced squad, patched together under the guidance of Lengyel and Dawson, they would defy overwhelming odds just to march onto the gridiron for the school's first game since the accident. Reader Reviews We Are Marshall, starring Matthew McConaughey, Mathew Fox, and David Strathairn, is very well-done, and the story is inspiring. At Marshall University in West Virginia, the "Thundering Herd" football team, along with a collection of boosters, parents, etc., is flying back from an away game when their plane crashes, killing the some 75 souls on board. The university and its town are crippled by the loss and want to suspend the football program at the school. However, a small number of remaining players organize a student protest to keep the game alive at Marshall. After many fruitless phone calls, the university president (Strathairn) finds a new coach - Jack Lengyel (McConaughey). Lengyel convinces former assistant coach Red Dawson (Fox) to return, and the NCAA grants the university the right to play freshmen. Lengyel and Dawson then fill their team with new recruits and begin playing football again. This movie is based on a true story, and I became misty-eyed more than once as I watched it. Performances are very good, and though the cast boasts several "stars," I thought the best depiction in the film was given by Anthony Mackie. Mackie plays Nate Ruffin, one of the remaining football players. Ruffin was not at the away game due to an injury. It is his determination to keep the football program going that makes it a reality. He had some wonderful scenes with McConaughey and Fox, and, in my opinion, he walked off with the movie. Other than one scene that seemed rather pushed to me (Lengyel's speech at the graveyard where the victims of the crash are buried; I didn't buy it. I don't know if it was the writing or the delivery, but it came off as maudlin and strained.), this movie is right on target. I highly recommend.

We Are Marshall [Blu-ray] Available from Amazon Price: $23.95 Updated on 11-16-2008.

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