Unstoppable: Jharrel Jerome goes the distance in athletics drama
Tales of sporting bravery are as old as The Hollywood Hills, but there’s still an audience for movies that celebrate the art of going the distance. Unstoppable is the latest to that list, drawing from the autobiography of athlete Anthony Robles. Played by Moonlight’s Jharrel Jerome, the film follows Robles’ trials chasing his dream to compete in college wrestling, despite only being born with one leg. Amid numerous personal obstacles, he must dig deep to achieve his dream.
A star-studded cast surrounds Jerome in a movie that undoubtably inspired, but never innovates. Robles’ story is genuinely enthralling, and while no sporting cliché is left untouched (we have direct references to the first Rocky film), those cast members ensure you feel every beat. Jerome embodies the indominable self-belief required to make it in high performance sport, while Jennifer Lopez is all heart as his mother who encourages him but also needs his support.
Don Cheadle is classy as Robles’ coach, delivering the kind of advice that will no doubt be clipped and shared on inspirational TikTok accounts for years to come. It’s filmmaker William Goldenberg’s first time in the director’s chair, having made a career as an editor for the likes of Paul Greengrass and Ben Affleck (who produces this film). He doesn’t have the grittiness of his collaborators, but knows how to keep things ticking along to the big final match.
As a film, Unstoppable is as generic as its title. From the first frame you can see the plot beats coming, however it’s difficult not to get swept up in the sappiness of it all. If nothing else, it’s a prime example of why sports dramas continue to be crowd pleasers after all these years.
Unstoppable is in cinemas from 6th December