Undefeated Blu-ray offers decent video and solid audio in this overall recommended Blu-ray release
A documentary that follows the Manassas Tigers football team, a severely underfunded and underprivileged football -- who were even hired out as a practice team for more successful schools -- as they reverse their fortunes thanks to coach Bill Courtney.
One of the most famous quotes in sports goes, "winning isn't everything; it's the only thing." For the Manassas Tigers, a small school from a poor area
of Memphis, Tennessee, winning wasn't everything, it was nothing, at least until volunteer coach Bill Courtney took the reigns in a noble effort to steer
the misguided ship out of the bottom of the standings and towards excellence on the field -- and off of it. At the beginning of his tenure, winning
wasn't everything, it was a step towards something greater. Winning wasn't everything, but it was a means to a greater end; towards building up the
body, the mind, the heart, and the soul; for preparing some of Memphis' most vulnerable youth for the realities of life and setting them up for success
rather than for failure. Undefeated is a heartfelt Documentary about a football program on the rise and, much more importantly, lives on the
mend, a community led down the right path, and futures capturing a glimmer of hope. The film demonstrates the power of football to impact lives
beyond the line of scrimmage, to build character, to shape a future, to make a difference. It's a powerful film because it shows the powers of
dedication, faith, and an understanding of what it means to lead and what it means to believe. It's a light in a darkened world, a sign of hope in
troubled times, an inspiration for those who play, those who coach, those who watch, and those who may see in it from the outside the life-changing
positives that start with an honest goal and end with the faith, future, and direction that only teamwork and principled living -- on and off the field --
can build.
Getting good news.
For the Manassas Tigers of Memphis, Tennessee losing football games is commonplace and losing at life is expected. It's a school in an impoverished
neighborhood
that took a turn for the worst when local industry shut its doors years ago, taking high-paying jobs with it. The high school football team has for
years been an embarrassment on the field; it's been more than a decade since the team has won a game. This year's team is in disarray; players
are routinely shot,
suspended, and arrested. Controversy is just part of the everyday job description for volunteer head coach Bill Courtney, a kindly business owner
and father of four who pours his heart and soul into not just turning around the football program's fortunes, but enriching the lives of his players.
The film follows his efforts and also focuses on three of his athletes: Money, Chivas, and O.C. Brown, all of whom show potential but find that they're
in some way held back, be it from injury, attitude, or finances. As the team begins winning on the field, they gel into a unit and the players find
success
in other areas of life, paying Coach Courtney more than he could ever earn in a paycheck of any size.
While Undefeated offers a fascinating glimpse into the realities of high school football, and low-end football at that, it's obviously far more
than
a simple Football film. Football is merely the backdrop for an uplifting story of dedication and success; the success the team finds on the field is
merely
a
byproduct of its successes -- and failures which breed success -- off of it. Through the negative haze of all of the challenges facing the program -- a
history of losing and
the
resultant lack of interest in the team by local athletes, poverty in the community, tensions between the players, an initial lack of discipline, injuries,
hurt feelings,
academic struggles -- rises a singular entity, a group of players who become the very definition of "team" and, because of their dedication to sport,
others, and self, they discover that they're bigger than the team's history, stronger than the community's poverty, and capable of overcoming any
challenge. It all sounds very much clichéd, but the difference here is that Undefeated isn't the product of a magical Hollywood script.
It's
real, and the film wears the realities of its emotions, highs, lows, wins, losses, and personal, team, and community battles on its sleeve. It's a
marvelously absorbing and uplifting journey from nothing to something to everything as boys mature into men under the leadership of a selfless
coach
who in his team doesn't see failure but rather family, who doesn't see a game but rather goals, who doesn't see losing but rather life.
The players' rise from obscurity to prominence -- all on the local stage, some on the national stage -- and their increase in confidence, adjustment in
attitude, and belief in themselves is the real highlight, but so too is the driving force behind that success. Coach Bill Courtney's story is just as
dramatic and satisfying. He's a role model for everyone, the face of dedication and belief, a real educator who may not teach letters or numbers but
who, through football, teaches invaluable life lessons which, one may argue, are more important to life than classroom learning. The film shows how
Courtney's undying devotion to the boys gives them not just a push on the field but a drive off of it. He uses controversy as a motivator, adversity
as a stepping stone rather than a slide backwards, love as a tool to show his team the power of positive living and thinking. His emotions are real,
his tears genuine, and there won't be a dry eye in the theater during the film's "climax" when he shares wonderful news with a player that will
change that individual's life forever. That scene encapsulates what the film is all about -- not necessarily reaching high or hoping for the stars but
living right, doing good, trying one's best, staying positive, and inviting goodness into one's life rather than believing only in ill and failure. The movie
shows the triumph of spirit over all odds; it's a must-see film for all audiences -- those who know football as well as Coach Courtney and those who
only watch the Super Bowl for the commercials -- that speaks on the power of goodness, belief, and hope even under the least ideal of
circumstances.
Undefeated may be Oscar material, but its Blu-ray transfer won't win any awards. This is a simple, no-frills high definition presentation sourced
from cameras a few steps lower than the top-of-the-line Hollywood digital video equipment. The result is a somewhat rough but satisfactory HD video
image. Light aliasing, a few jagged edges, and occasional banding are evident. Detail is rarely striking; shots of the football field leave grass looking
clumpy and mushy rather than distinct and lifelike. Facial details are rather revealing in close-up shots, but otherwise definition and detail are adequate
at best. The image is at least consistent and rather crisp. Colors are handled well enough, whether the patchy grass practice field that offers a mix of
green and tan blades, bright blue practice jerseys, or casual clothes seen inside the school. The palette isn't electrifying, but it's clear and accurate
nonetheless. Black levels are fair and flesh tones consistent, the former never washed out or showing crush, the latter never too warm or too pale. The
image suffers more from the limitations of the source rather than a sloppy Blu-ray release; it's a watchable image and fine for what it is but demo
material this is not.
Undefeated powers not Blu-ray with a good, but hardly great, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The film's sound design is limited
by nature and won't put speakers and audio gear through their paces, but the end result is a fair listen that handles the film's limited needs well enough.
Music plays with a fair front end spread and light surround support. Clarity is adequate and bass, while light, helps give body and presence to the music.
Some of the more upbeat moments -- such as when Manassas starts playing well partway through its second game -- offer a little more sonic verve.
Dialogue is the main ingredient here; clarity is fine, placement remains in the center, and no other elements drown out the spoken word. Some
scratchy small town AM-quality radio broadcast clips are deliberately sloppy but welcome in context. This is a forgettable listen, but Anchor Bay's track
gets the job done with minimal effort.
Undefeated contains a short but quality assortment of extras, including a fine commentary track and a selection of deleted scenes.
Audio Commentary: Directors Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin guide audiences through the picture, sharing their thoughts on the film's
themes, its purposes, shooting and editing, the film's style and evolution from concept to final product, efforts to steer away from general cliché,
shooting the football games, footage continuity versus dramatic flow, and plenty more. This is an easy but informative and well spoken track. Fans will
definitely want to give this one a listen.
Deleted Scenes (HD, various runtimes): Joaquin, Take Me Seriously, Fat Guy Plays Free Safety, Just Sitting There, Officer Swansey,
and Attrition.
Black & White Teaser Trailer (HD, 1:42).
Making Of (HD, 8:31): Crew and subjects discuss the project's origins, its universal themes, shooting, and winning the Oscar.
Undefeated feels so authentic that audiences might forget they're watching the story unfold through the camera lens and believe they're there
on the practice field, in the school auditorium, or at home with the coach or his players. It's a wonderful technical accomplishment but more importantly
a powerful, uplifting, and
maybe even life changing Documentary about the power of positive thinking, dedication, and success not on the scoreboard or the stat sheet but rather
in life. These are not new ideas but the difference in Undefeated is the authenticity of the experience, the passion of the coach, and the arc of
the players from rough outlines to fully matured human beings with an understanding of life and a clear path towards the future. This is a film that's
not to be missed. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of Undefeated delivers fair video, good audio, and a few supplements. Highly recommended on
the strength of the film.
Anchor Bay Home Entertainment and The Weinstein Company will release on Blu-ray directors Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin's documentary Undefeated (2011). Earlier this year, the film won Oscar Award for Best Documentary Film. Street date is February 19th.
