He Got Game Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

He Got Game Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown June 3, 2014

With Disney's two-volume, four-movie Spike Lee Joint Collection, three additional films from the prolific director make their Blu-ray debut. Both sets are something of a mixed bag, albeit for different reasons. Vol. 1 features masterfully written and performed, low-key character study 25th Hour (2002) and the mismatched but compelling He Got Game (1998), each of which showcase a distinct side of Lee's talents and vision. Easily the most tempting of the collection, Vol. 1 may be an odd pairing, but it's one that represents the filmmaker at an interesting intersect in his career; before the likes of Oldboy (2013) -- an abysmal remake in every conceivable way -- left viewers questioning whether Lee still, erm, got game. Vol. 2 is the trickier collection, with excellent but oft-overlooked period piece Summer of Sam (1999) dragged down by misguided war drama Miracle at St. Anna (2008), a late career misfire first released in high definition in 2009 (the only film previously available on BD).

Completests will no doubt want to acquire Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, while other longtime Lee fans will lament the fact that the films haven't been granted individual releases (particularly for those who already own Miracle and are only looking to pick up Summer). Thankfully, notable AV presentations and newly recorded audio commentaries will help ensure almost everyone get's their money's worth.

With the promise of a reduced sentence, Jake Shuttlesworth (Denzel Washington) is granted temporary release from state prison in order to persuade the nation's top basketball recruit, his estranged son Jesus (NBA star Ray Allen), to play ball for the governor's alma mater. But as Jesus faces intense pressures and irresistible temptations while contemplating his big decision, Jake is also forced to consider not only what's best for himself but what's best for his son. The film features a soundtrack by Public Enemy and appearances by John Turturro and basketball personalities Dick Vitale, John Thompson and Dean Smith.

With He Got Game, Lee tends to overindulge and overextend, delivering a mesmerizing but frustrating film that's too long, occasionally too enamored with itself, and all too willing to hedge its bets on a paper-thin premise. Not that it represents a lesser effort by any stretch of the imagination. Washington hoists the weight of Lee's busy script on his shoulders with a powerhouse performance as magnetic as it is heartbreaking. Allen matches Washington too, if you can believe it... which isn't something that can be said for the other athletes and sports professionals that wander on set. (You might even mistake the young basketballer for a veteran thesp when, in fact, He Got Game was Allen's acting debut.) The oft-erratic Milla Jovovich turns in fine work as well, withdrawing inward rather than fidgeting outward. The result is a terribly flawed film that isn't remotely terrible. It's rather gripping actually, with a heft to its movements that elevates it above an ordinary genre pic. Lee's passion for the sport is palpable and, like every subject he's ever tackled, he uses it to explore every avenue and alley he passes, no matter how dark or dangerous it might seem. Still, without Washington and Allen, it isn't hard to envision the mess that could have been, leaving this one without the classic status some of Lee's other films have earned with their blood, sweat and tears.

He Got Game Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

He Got Game sports an attractive but imperfect 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation that, relatively minor issues aside, fares pretty well. Contrast comes on a bit too strong at times and slight edge halos creep into a few scenes, but otherwise the film has never looked better. Colors are confident and capably saturated, skintones are generally lifelike, primaries pack some punch and black levels are satisfying. Detail doesn't disappoint either. Close-ups feature particularly well-resolved textures and overall clarity comes as something of a relief. Add to that a lack of any troubling anomalies (artifacting, aberrant noise et al) and you have a fifteen year old film that's been given new life.

He Got Game Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

He Got Game features a fairly involving DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, despite drawing upon a noticeably front-focused soundscape. That doesn't mean the rear speakers don't have a role to play -- busy basketball courts, bustling streets and crowded hot spots thankfully expand the experience -- but those expecting a fully inhabitable city will raise an eyebrow during scenes that sound a touch flat. Even so, dialogue is clean and neatly prioritized throughout, LFE output is more than commendable (despite primarily supporting the film's music) and dynamics don't disappoint.

He Got Game Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary: The sole extra available on the Blu-ray edition of Het Got Game is a newly recorded audio commentary with director Spike Lee and actor Ray Allen. While far from a disappointing track, this was my least favorite of the four Joint Collection commentaries, if only because Lee seems more distracted and Denzel Washington would have made for a more engaging participant than Allen. Still, fans of the film will quickly realize there's plenty of solid information and insight to be had, so long as you have the patience to get to them all.

He Got Game Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

He Got Game is a fighter, I'll give it that; charging ahead with a certainty and confidence befitting Washington and Allen's outstanding performances. However, the film's flaws carry weight, run deep and stick around about twenty minutes too long, tarnishing what might have been a more taut, gripping drama. Dealing with those flaws has never been easier, though, thanks to the Blu-ray edition's AV presentation. The newly recorded audio commentary doesn't hurt either.