The lens flares explode across the screen dramatically (the cinematographer is Eduard Grau), creating a vibe of both nostalgia for better days, but also the squinting headache of a constant hangover. With a script by O'Connor and Brad Ingelsby, the atmosphere is crucial. Just as O'Connor did in "Miracle" and "Warrior," he keeps his eye very closely on Jack. And it changes everything for him, and for the students.Ī film like this depends on its central character. When he is offered a coaching gig at his old school, he promptly gets wasted. Once upon a time, Jack was the star basketball player at his high school. But he's in the round of alcoholism: drinks, collapses, hangovers, do it all over again. At family gatherings, you can see his sister's disapproval of him, suggesting a long history. When he takes a sip of beer, his eyes close briefly. You can feel his thirst the second he gets into his truck after his shifts. He works construction and spends his nights at a dive bar, where he is a regular. "The Way Back" is about a ragtag basketball team at a Catholic high school, and a damaged alcoholic coach ( Ben Affleck) who finds a way to force them into being winners, into being better people, even. O'Connor is gifted at action too, thrusting us into the middle of the fights in "Warrior," tossing us onto the ice in "Miracle." Even if you're not a sports fan, you can follow the action. O'Connor brought this power to bear in " Warrior" too, focusing his attention on the relationship between the absent father ( Nick Nolte) and his two adult sons. He focused his attention on a compelling central character, Herb Brooks (played brilliantly by Kurt Russell), and this galvanizes the action. In " Miracle" he took a well-known story and made it urgent and thrilling. This is a sweet spot for O'Connor as a director.
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