Though his skills as an actor may be questionable, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's appeal is undeniable. On-screen, the man possesses a charisma that more than compensates for his acting deficiencies. And though he doesn't exactly display a lot of range in Gridiron Gang -- he essentially varies between mildly irritated to completely pissed off -- ultimately, it's his presence that makes the movie watchable.
Gridiron Gang is based on a true story of Camp Kilpatrick, a juvenile detention facility tucked in the mountains of Southern California, where the hardest of hardcore miscreants are held. It's a bleak, gritty place where battle lines are drawn by ethnicity and gang affiliation and where the word "rehabilitation" is more or less a joke.
The Rock plays Sean Porter, a Camp Kilpatrick detention officer disillusioned with the traditional revolving-door system of incarcerating juveniles. Looking for a way to break the cycle of violence and crime, he proposes the novel idea of forming a football team of inmates that will square off against local high schools. The goal is two-fold: to foster hard work and discipline and to build a sense of family that heretofore was only provided by gangs.
After overcoming initial bureaucratic resistance, Porter succeeds in fielding a team, which he calls the Mustangs. Initially, the results are dismal: the Mustangs are confused, disorganized and rife with dissension. But thanks to about a million inspirational speeches from Porter, the Mustangs are eventually able to put aside their differences and find success both on and off the football field.
It's hard to pan a film with such good intentions. Gridiron Gang chronicles an earnest attempt to provide hope and inspiration to kids from neighborhoods torn apart by drugs and gangs, and for that it should be lauded. Structurally, the plot is a fairly standard hybrid of underdog sports movie and Stand and Deliver-esque tale of redemption.
Ultimately, it's The Rock who carries the film. He's eminently likeable as an actor and completely credible as a football coach (he actually played college ball for the Miami Hurricanes in the 90s), and his concern for the troubled Camp Kilpatrick inmates is palpable and genuine. He makes the most out of a mostly unremarkable, cliché-ridden script.
ReelzChannel Rating: 
What's on the Disc:
There's one commentary track featuring writer Jeff Maguire and Phil Joanou.
Deleted Scenes - A whopping 16 deleted scenes are included, all of which are superfluous.
Gridiron Gang: Football Training - A short look at how a bunch of actors were whipped into football shape.
Phil Joanou Profile - A five-minute featurette about the director and his approach to the film.
The Rock Takes the Field - A behind-the-scenes look at a pivotal scene in Gridiron Gang, in which The Rock actually suits up and challenges an underachieving player.
Multi-Angle: Football Scene - This is kind of a cool feature, actually. Several of the football game scenes were shot using a five-camera setup; using your remote, you can toggle between angles or watch all five at once.
Check out ReelzChannel.com's Gridiron Gang page for clips from the movie and more.