From the director of Warrior comes another emotion-fuelled sports drama, this time set in the basketball court and powered by a smashing lead show from Ben Affleck. The Way Back follows a former high-school basketball star living a scarred life and covers his redemptive journey after he decides to take the job of coaching his alma mater's basketball team.
Directed by Gavin O'Connor, the story packs a character-driven plot that addresses themes of loss, addiction & redemption through the protagonist's actions, and every bit of his agony, frustration & regret add to the adrenaline high felt during the games. O'Connor's polished direction expertly juggles the dramatic portions with basketball segments, and both subplots uplift one another as plot progresses.
Energetic camerawork, tight editing, steady pace & brilliant score make the ride all the more engaging while Ben Affleck single-handedly steers the film to victory with his knockout performance, perfectly articulating his character's personal demons & channeling them into something productive, thus adding another impressive output to his acting résumé. Rest do well with their roles but it is Affleck's show all the way.
Overall, The Way Back is an outstanding mix of sophisticated direction, deft writing, kinetic camerawork, skilful editing & stellar lead act, and is a welcome entry in sport drama genre. Investing in the emotional journey and letting it take care of the game aspect, the film is formulaic to a fault but both O'Connor & Affleck deliver the goods with what's at their disposal, thus making The Way Back one of the better surprises of the year.
Directed by Gavin O'Connor, the story packs a character-driven plot that addresses themes of loss, addiction & redemption through the protagonist's actions, and every bit of his agony, frustration & regret add to the adrenaline high felt during the games. O'Connor's polished direction expertly juggles the dramatic portions with basketball segments, and both subplots uplift one another as plot progresses.
Energetic camerawork, tight editing, steady pace & brilliant score make the ride all the more engaging while Ben Affleck single-handedly steers the film to victory with his knockout performance, perfectly articulating his character's personal demons & channeling them into something productive, thus adding another impressive output to his acting résumé. Rest do well with their roles but it is Affleck's show all the way.
Overall, The Way Back is an outstanding mix of sophisticated direction, deft writing, kinetic camerawork, skilful editing & stellar lead act, and is a welcome entry in sport drama genre. Investing in the emotional journey and letting it take care of the game aspect, the film is formulaic to a fault but both O'Connor & Affleck deliver the goods with what's at their disposal, thus making The Way Back one of the better surprises of the year.