Customer Reviews

Knights of the South Bronx

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The movie was great. I enjoyed it. The child actors are good, and Ted Danson is just excellent. By and large, the actors, the storyline, and the chess seem credible, realistic and on target. As a chess player, I could see that the chess teaching techniques used are textbook, so there is nothing fake or phony about this story.

I'm a believer in the main message of the movie, that I chess is able to boost a child academically, and that..."chess is a battle of the mind....it does not care who you are, what color you are, or where you come from..."

Having just taught my 5 year old daughter how to play chess, I find that the grittiness of the South Bronx depicted in the film, and the bad language used is too much for my daughter's view right now. This is a pity, but the producers and directors are "keeping it real". I respect that but I wish that they came out with a more family friendly version with over-dubbing of the language.

The last scene in the movie showing the animated ninjas on the board was a little hokey and unnecessary.

Ted Danson is at his best in this movie about a famous chess teacher. He takes a class room of kids that haven't got a clue about what education do for them and transforms their thinking and gives them ideas about the future! The typical stereo -type antagonist is the whites or well to do that think they are unstoppable in the chess tournaments. It is an excellent feel good movie I can recommend to all. There is a little bit of bad language, especially the drug addict mother.

The movie is excellent. The language is family oriented-the story is well written- I was in the field of elementary education as a teacher and an elementary school principal in a big urban area and I think it could be used to encourage kids to succeed in life.

This was a very touching movie,...the only thing i didnt like was the typical story of inner city kids being taught by upper middle class gentleman and making a difference in their lives....etc...

However the story is still very touching and the characters in this film really grip you. Especially Dawson, great family movie...plus I am a chess player and I learned a few things.

In many ways this is a predictable movie - the long shot underdogs come out on top after a lot of hard work, discipline and devotion to following the rules. Still, it is a very satisfying movie, especially knowing that it is based on a real group of South Bronx grade school kids. On the other hand, if after watching the movie you learn that the kids are still losers, you would feel cheated, so being predictable isn't really that bad.

The unusual quality of the movie is that it is focused on chess, somewhat unusual for a movie. [See also the Wonderworks program, 'The Mighty Pawns,' 'The Luzhin Defence,' and the comedy, 'Hatley High,'] We graded the movie down slightly because there are a few swear words, once by the teacher, but otherwise only from the junkies and losers with whom the kids have to deal. If you like chess, you'll probably like this movie. Even if you don't understand chess, you'll be glad you watched it, especially when reading the things the kids wrote about how chess changed their lives.

My kids play chess, and this movie was really good. I miss those Saturday (or Sunday) night specials at night with the famiy when I was a kid. This would be a perfect movie that type or any type of night.

The character was something totally different for Ted Danson. Not the macho bachelor type that I've always seen him play.. Definitely the right man for the part. Very moving role....

It's a good story on how a group of kids became enriched by entering the world of chess.

This is a great movie for people of all ages. A great movie to inspire young people about the world of chess and about life. I would highly recommend this movie as an X-mas gift.

The film is okay but having seen other films with similar themes, I hoped for more. Perhaps that isn't fair. Watching this movie is the first I ever heard about the Knights of the South Bronx. It has its fun moments but for me, it isn't a memorable film. The price was right, though!