The people of Huntington, West Virginia, are of the blue collar variety, relentless workers of the once-thriving manufacturing industry. Running on a faith as strong as the current of the nearby Ohio River, the community finds strength in religion, family, and Marshall University football. The latter may appear misplaced, but upon viewing the film We Are Marshall we gain a better understanding of the special place that football holds in the hearts of Huntington. At 7:35 p.m. on Saturday, November 14, 1970, the Marshall team plane crashed outside the Tri-State Airport, just two miles from home. There were no survivors. The victims included thirty-seven players, twelve coaches and staff, twenty-one boosters, and a flight crew of five. We Are Marshall portrays life on the mend in Huntington, as a community and university try to cope with the aftermath of an American tragedy.

In We Are Marshall, director McG (the one-name Cher of directors) offers the audience a moving tale about the struggle to regain hope from the darkest times of despair. The storyline is so powerful and unique that it is almost impossible to leave this film unaffected. However, McG is not able to harness the true power of the story by adopting a rather formulaic and hurried approach to his film, overloading the audience with scene after scene. As is the case with many inexperienced directors, McG attempts to do too much and leaves little time for true characterization.

Matthew McConaughey is, well, standard issue McConaughey and the supporting cast is well represented by Matthew Fox as Red Dawson and Anthony Mackie as Nate Ruffin. Of local interest, Oscar-nominated David Strathairn (Good Night, and Good Luck) portrays Marshall President Donald Dedmon, who would later take the same position at Radford University. Despite the competent acting, we, unfortunately, never get a sense of who these people really are. McG would have served his purpose well by trimming scenes, like the extended football game sequence near the end, and devoting more time to character development. This is where the heart of a story lies, as is illustrated in director Boaz Yakin’s football classic Remember the Titans. Putting these shortcomings aside, McG should be credited with creating exposure for a tragedy that should be recognized and honored by all.

Adam Neal is the Founder of featurefilmreview.com. Please e-mail comments to adam(@)featurefilmreview.com.