Audiences expecting another “Friday Night Lights” or “Remember the Titans” will see that this film is cutting-edge and gritty, but even more rewarding.

Dwayne Johnson, or better known as “The Rock”, stars in “Gridiron Gang” as Sean Porter. Porter is a probation officer at a maximum-security juvenile detention camp. Along side Officer Sean Porter is Officer Malcolm Moore, who is played by Xzibit. They turn a group of hardcore, gangbanging teenage felons into a high school football team in four weeks.

Confronted with gang rivalries and bitter hatred between teammates, Porter teaches the teens some hard lessons as they gain a sense of self-respect and responsibility throughout the film.

This film is refreshing and quite informative, in the sense that it gives us a glimpse of what our youth culture is facing and how its being exploited. Claudia Puig from USA Today said, “Gridiron entertains and make a powerful point about the faults inherent in the penal system, particularly for the youth with hopes of rehabilitation.”

In American society, 75 percent of juvenile inmates return to prison or meet with their inevitable violent demises on the street, which for Porter and Moore, it seemed like insurmountable barriers. No one wanted to compete against convicted felons, but through unyielding pursuit and a pinch of inspiration, Porter and his football team fought their way to redeem themselves and get a

shot at a second chance.This film is based on a true story and it sends out the message that one man, who is determined, can make a difference. The most hopeless teens in our society can change the course of their lives through commitment, hard work and bold leadership.

However, a film is still a film and according to some critics, this movie really didn’t move them like lets say a “Remember the Titans” or a “Glory Road.” James Greenberg from the Hollywood Reporter views the “Gridiron Gang” as “an inspirational football story that fails to inspire.” Other critics see the film as being very cliche and formulated, such as Michael Wilmington from the Chicago Tribune when he was quoted as saying “-as formula-bound as they get, even though it’s a movie taken from real life.” But, on the lighter note, the movie also got good reviews from other creditable sources.

“As it stands, the gritty Gang delivers last-second heroics, surprising amounts of humor, and the beating heart of an unexpected champion” said film critic Sean O’Connell. Peter Hartlaub, from the San Francisco Chronicle, said, “-succeeds as a crowd pleaser without glossing over the complicated roots of gang violence.” So to tie up the loose ends, “Gridiron Gang” addresses some of the real issues that young kids face today in America, while also giving the audience a dramatic storyline, and glues it all together with America’s favorite pastime, football.

• Raymond Gardner