A basketball player's father must try to convince him to go to a college so he can get a shorter prison sentence.
Rankkaa peliä, Man to Man, A játék ördöge, Yesh Lo et Ze, Last Game, No perdonarás, Gra o honor, Tudo em Jogo, Sa înceapa jocul, Dobio je igru, Его игра, Його гра, 히 갓 게임, Una mala jugada, Oyunun Galibi, Spike Lee's Spiel des Lebens, 单挑, יש לו את זה, Jogada Decisiva, Готов за играта, ラストゲーム, Nejlepší hráč, لديه الموهبة, ชีวิตนี้ต้องชู้ต, Livets spill, 單挑, Добио је игру, Oyunlar Galibi
USA New York City, New York 
Romania18 USAR 
Brazil16 
Germany12 
UK15 
South Korea18 
France10 France France16 France France Brazil France Germany Romania South Korea UK USA 
surprised this isn’t talked about more often as one of spike lee’s essentials. incredibly layered, his most expressionistic from what i’ve seen, and a bit of a sampler platter for him as a filmmaker. thought ray allen was actually outstanding, thought the milla jovovich stuff was a total drag
Spike takes his complex relationship with a sport he obviously adores (I mean, just look to the casting of Ray Allen as the son + all those lovingly photographed slow-motion montages/music videos of the game itself set to classical operatic Aaron Copland ballet compositions!) but is also painfully aware of the inherent industry exploitation of black men it is too. Only four years earlier you could find him lecturing college hopefuls in Hoop Dreams that: "Nobody cares about you. You're black. You're a young male. All you're supposed to do is deal drugs and mug women. The only reason why you're here... You can make their team win, and if their team wins these schools get a lot of money."…
This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
"all those lips all those hips all those honey dips."
the *most* Spike Lee joint there is? and the quintessential Denzel Washington performance.
that constant Copland score!
magical-realist touch certainly gives the impression that the bifurcated narrative comes together, but i get the impression that Spike was at war with his own cooked up abstractions... the director part of him wanted to let this story fly on its themes, but the writer part of him could never let that happen (hence, milla jovovich as one of the cinema's sweetest prostitutes). all the same, i cant' help but think that the ending works... the guard with the sniper rifle is a touch too far, and Ray Allen trying to command that long final shot is a bit of a laugh, but the shot counts even if it's off the rim.
I don't mind Ray Allen as much as others seem to – I find him pretty charming, actually, though putting him next to Rick Fox who I think is a classic athlete-turned-actor is almost unfair – but the second Denzel is off-screen for more than three minutes, the movie deflates. the Milla Jovovich stuff really kinda sucks, though she's good. and yet – Denzel is so great, so in the pocket, so charismatic and undeniable here, and the Copland scoring is equally inspired and almost subversive. incredible opening credits sequence! overall totally absurd – but that's the movies!
this is one of the best movies i’ve ever seen
There could be two YouTube cuts of this movie if anyone wants to make them:
1. Denzel Washington EMBARRASSES 11-Year-Old In One-On-One
2. Jesus Shuttlesworth NASTY MIXTAPE! Best High School Prospect Since Lebron?!
Not a thing more beautiful than Spike Lee shooting Ray Allen’s jumper set to Aaron Copland’s score.
A good movie. I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would tho.
Everyone but Denzel was not very good at acting
Maybe I love basketball now
Action! - Spike The Power, Lee The Riot'
Lee and Washington once again collaborate on this film that, in many ways, transcends the category of a sports movie and attempts to reach for something not even inspirational but spiritual. The whole thing is even a bit meta when you think that Jesus, as portrayed by an actual basketball player, Ray Allen, which had a record set years later which Stephen Curry will later break. In light of this, it's hard not to see the parallel that Spike Lee was attempting. Despite some corny moments here and there, I really enjoyed this as well as other editing and directing decisions that didn't make the viewer forget that this was a Spike…
A sprawling buffet of a movie. Often electrifying, always alive, full of the sorts of strange decisions only Spike would make. Ferocious work from Denzel; charmingly clunky work from Ray Allen. The plot requires a lot of suspension of disbelief. A bit misogynist. The Milla Jovovich subplot is A Bit Much. Has the kookiest final scene of a Spike Lee movie outside of Jungle Fever.
