THE FATHER, THE SON AND THE HOLY GAME.

Attica convict Jake Shuttlesworth (Denzel Washington) is freed for one week to persuade his son Jesus (Ray Allen), an immensely talented basketball player, to sign up with the governor’s alma mater. This becomes a story about redemption, integrity and the bond between a father and a son, complicated by the fact that daddy accidentally killed his son’s mother. Allen, himself an NBA star, knows how to relate to his character, and Washington is good as always, but the film is long and writer-director Spike Lee doesn’t quite get to the bottom of the drama.

1998-U.S. 136 min. Color. Written and directed by Spike Lee. Cast: Denzel Washington (Jake Shuttlesworth), Ray Allen (Jesus Shuttlesworth), Milla Jovovich (Dakota Burns), Rosario Dawson, Hill Harper, Zelda Harris… Ned Beatty, Jim Brown, John Turturro.

Trivia: The soundtrack consists of Public Enemy songs, arranged by Aaron Copland.

IMDb