Review of The Great Debaters (2007) by Elliot R — 18 Aug 2008

I really like Denzel and thought this film was pretty good, but I feel it's inconsistent. There are times when the drama is so very good that I could feel the hairs standing on the back of my neck, but then in other moments of drama it fails to raise the tension as much.

There are some truly mesmerising arguments that create pause for thought and struck me as very impressive, though again it's not consistently brilliant like this from start to finish. Whether it's Denzel's directing, or the lack of attention in the editing room, it still falls down to Denzel falling short of great drama.

Acting was good all round, and though there were one or two moments of weak subplot, the film still managed to entertain and overcome what I think are its shortcomings (mainly to do with James Farmer Snr/Jnr).

Still, if Denzel provides a commentary on the DVD I'd be curious enough to buy and listen to it.