Based on a real story, Camp Kilpatrick juvenile detention center is a rough place where really troubled kids go to. It's a revolving door of fights, crime, and death where 75% of the kids eventually end up in prison. Supervisors Sean Porter (Dwayne Johnson) and Malcolm Moore (Xzibit) decide to put together a football team to get the teens to work together.

I love The Rock in this. He is completely earnest and puts in a terrific performance. The kids aren't cuddly. The violence look real. Like the opening narration says, these kids didn't get locked up for showing up at the prom drunk. These guys are there because somebody got shot in the parking lot. The story is extremely simple. There are no surprises. The movie can be summed up in a couple of lines. It's not one of those jokey sports movies. It takes everything seriously.

In the Kilpatrick juvenile detention center, the supervisor and former football player Sean Porter (Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson) sees the lack of discipline, self-esteem, union and perspective in the teenage interns and proposes to prepare a football team to play in one league. He is supported by his superiors and his successful experience changes the lives of many youngsters.

While watching "Gridiron Gang", I commented to my wife that I was enjoying the movie in spite of being corny and predictable. However, in the credits there are several footages of a documentary with the real Sean Porter and several interns, and I realized that this movie is not only based on a true story, but many lines of The Rock are exactly the same said by Sean Porter in the documentary. This revelation changed completely my first opinion, and I found this movie a great homage to a man that made the difference. The message about the importance of sports to aggregate men and make them winners in the essence of the word is beautiful and The Rock is amazing, giving credibility to his character in one of his best roles. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Gangue Está em Campo" ("The Gang Is In the Field")

I think this movie was excellent. The "Rock" surprised me completely. I took him as a hard core/action actor, but he really made this movie his own. The boys were great actors as well. I cannot get over how some of these boys can act. Willie Weathers played the part, as well as the others. It wasn't a movie where in 10 seconds they were best friends or they won the first football game they played....the movie gave you just what it was - of course I am sure some of the real life events were a little different, but towards the end of the movie I couldn't wait until they kicked some butt, or when Willie finally knocked the "private" school brats down on their behinds!!!! That was so exciting! I laughed, cried and my heart was touched. I think this movie will make people see that kids sometimes make the wrong choices, a lot of which is upbringing and some not, but have so much more inside, they are children. This Coach Porter changed a lot of lives!! God Bless Him!