Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Undefeated Blu-ray Movie Review

'Undefeated' will win your heart.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 18, 2013

Football reveals character.

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 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.