On J List of Movie Reviews

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The Junction Boys (2002)

Rate: 7
Viewed: 6/16

6/16: The Junction Boys is the story of a ten-day training camp during the summer of 1954 at Junction, Texas, which was hosted by first-year coach Paul "Bear" Bryant for his Aggies of Texas A&M University.

Approximately one hundred players showed up, and roughly 30% survived the camp at the end. The funniest part about the film is that it didn't take place in Texas but Australia and that the actors weren't Americans but Australians. But why?

Anyway, for an ESPN production, The Junction Boys is actually well-done. I'm surprised at the allowance of the profanity words which fits the context. Tom Berenger, who's the main reason why I agreed to seeing the movie, is perfect for the role, and he should be given he was Barnes in Platoon. Although silly in an effeminate way, everybody else is acceptable enough.

The story of what happened is overboard because we know better today. But back then, it was a tough world and that sort of thing was the norm. Today, it'll never happen. My favorite moment is when one of the players kept things in perspective by telling a story about his father who was a prisoner of war.

All in all, The Junction Boys succeeds by giving an insight into surviving in a brutal but mostly pointless environment.