In the nineties, Spike Lee switched his game up, going from being “the black Woody Allen”, to really exploring his own personal style. Between Clockers and He Got Game, he began exploring some of the same territory as Martin Scorsese, creating these gritty, urban films with a real sense of danger and focused on issues of family. He Got Game is one of Lee’s all time must download movies.
The lead character is named Jesus. Jee-Zuss, not Hey-Seuss. It’s… It’s a Biblical name, you could say. Jesus is a basketball prodigy, one of the most promising the city has ever seen. The schools trying to court him are more than just aggressive. They seem this close to asking him “Who do you want killed to come play for us?” They really do just about go that far.
The other lead is Jesus’ father played by Denzel Washington. He’s been in prison for years for accidentally killing the mother. Jesus has never forgiven him for this. Whether he ever finds his son’s love again forms one of the film’s main two plots alongside that of Jesus’ being courted by the various athletic schools in the area.
The warden at the prison offers a deal: Let the father out for a little while to convince Jesus to join the warden’s alma mater, and they’ll see about reducing the sentence.
So the father is put out on the streets for a little while to try and convince his son. For the father, it’s not simply an assignment that will help him get a reduced sentence, rather, it’s a chance at redemption, a chance at forgiveness. It’s not really about the reduced sentence, it’s about finding his son’s love again. Not that his son sees it that way.
The father has other issues to deal with, such as a prostitute he falls in love with, while the son already has enough on his mind as the talent scouts put him through an endless parade of cash bribes, drugs and sex with gorgeous women in attempts to get him to join up. Through it all, Jesus has to maintain his righteousness, he has to stay strong and make the right decision for himself and for his little sister, who he’s cared for all these years. He enjoys these offerings, but tries to resist temptation.
The way the film ends is surreal and fitting, and shows a fascinating step for Spike Lee. It is also quite touching. The film ends in a way that is not entirely satisfying except on an emotional level, which is, of course, where it really counts.
The film is frightening and shocking at times, it’s moving, and it boasts a lot of emotional depth and truth. The film also carries some great music by Public Enemy, notably the title track, He Got Game. Since then, Spike Lee has reinvented himself again, creating more marketable, polished films. His newer movies are every bit as worthwhile as his previous work, but there’s a rawness, a realness to the era between Do the Right Thing and He Got Game that set him apart from all other filmmakers of his generation.
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