The Great Debaters is a classic example of an underdog story, yet its premise has managed to separate it from the horde of similar films that Hollywood offers with great regularity. It is about a group of African-American students, studying in an all-Black college, called Wiley College, located in the then-racist state of Texas, in an age when racial discrimination and intolerance was as widespread as it was absolute. And these young students, under the guidance of a well-read and openly rebellious teacher (and a fiery speaker himself), forms an all-conquering debating team. By the time they get to debate the students of Harvard University, within the premises of the hallowed institute, we know how the film will end, yet the passion with which the speakers go about their job, one cannot but cheer for these underdogs on the path of making history. The film is well-acted, and melodramatic moments have been largely kept under bay (though they do show up from time to time perhaps to up the audience’s emotions). Denzel Washington didn’t just helm the film as its director, he also enacted the role of the volatile, angry, passionate and inspirational teacher; though in a supporting turn, his is integral part of how a bunch of kids, with problems of their own, turn into a brilliant debating team, and in the process end up playing significant roles in the history of the African-American community. As a critic aptly opined, it might be at the end a feel-good film, but it certainly wasn’t a run-of-the-mill film, and did do more than a commendable job portraying the social context that played a key role in the "based on true events" storyline incisively.
Director: Denzel Washington
Genre: Drama/Historical Drama
Language: English
Country: US
