I like the movie's concept: the main character is a ex-con who, right as he was about to sign with the New York Yankees, did 17 years in prison for murder; and newly released, he struggles to get by in life. The film's plot was quite compelling, offering a chance to explore themes such as criminality, forgiveness, redemption. The acting by Joe Manganiello was excellent, and the movie's visuals were crisp and gritty.
Unfortunately, the movie fails to execute on its potential. The movie has a gritty look, a gritty feel, and a gritty plot; yet with so much grittiness, the movie, for some reason, decides to proceed in the fairy-tale route where everything seems to work out perfectly -- for example, the main character, after 17 years in jail, is somehow immediately capable of playing professional baseball at the highest level; and he gets back with his girlfriend so quickly. And about the girlfriend, Sofia Vergara was totally miscast: she was way too pretty for such a dark-themed movie. The film needed a weary, ordinary-looking female, not model-looking Sofia Vergara. Finally - when the main character is coaching the baseball team, the movie interestingly sets him up to be a mentor to one of the younger, cocky teammates; yet this mentorship plot remains undeveloped and ultimately goes nowhere meaningful.
Unfortunately, the movie fails to execute on its potential. The movie has a gritty look, a gritty feel, and a gritty plot; yet with so much grittiness, the movie, for some reason, decides to proceed in the fairy-tale route where everything seems to work out perfectly -- for example, the main character, after 17 years in jail, is somehow immediately capable of playing professional baseball at the highest level; and he gets back with his girlfriend so quickly. And about the girlfriend, Sofia Vergara was totally miscast: she was way too pretty for such a dark-themed movie. The film needed a weary, ordinary-looking female, not model-looking Sofia Vergara. Finally - when the main character is coaching the baseball team, the movie interestingly sets him up to be a mentor to one of the younger, cocky teammates; yet this mentorship plot remains undeveloped and ultimately goes nowhere meaningful.