In "The Greatest Game Ever Played," actor-director Bill Paxton covers a golf tournament in ways ESPN never imagined. We get a ball's-eye view of a long drive, a la the arrow in "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves." We stand with a player as he blanks out the gallery and reduces his world to himself and a faraway flag. A round played in a downpour not only emphasizes the almost religious hold golf has on its acolytes, but is presented in a dazzling montage of swings, umbrellas and a constantly changing leader board. Read the full review
An amateur player from a working-class family, Francis Ouimet shocked the golf world at the 1913 U.S. Open when, flanked by his 10-year-old caddie, he defeated his idol, the defending British champion Harry Vardon. In a sport dominated by the British and the wealthy, the self-taught Ouimet — a former caddie — became America's first golf hero.
Director: Bill Paxton
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Stephen Dillane, Justin Ashforth, Peter Firth, George Asprey
Run time: 115 minutes
Release date: Sept. 30, 2005
Rating: PG for some brief mild language.
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: B
"... a film with the same clean, classic lines as the game it honors."
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