The Junction Boys (TV 2002)

Story of Bear Bryant's first summer as head football coach at Texas A&M. Bear takes his charges out onto the scorched plains and sees who survives.

Director:

Mike Robe

Writers:

Jim Dent (book), Mike Robe (teleplay)

Stars:

Tom Berenger, Fletcher Humphrys, Ryan Kwanten

3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Tom Berenger	...	Paul 'Bear' Bryant
Fletcher Humphrys	...	Skeet Keeler
Ryan Kwanten	...	Claude Gearheart
Bernard Curry	...	Johnny Haynes
Nick Tate	...	Smokey Harper
Luke Ford	...	Perch
Josef Ber	...	Pine
Ryan Johnson	...	Mike Hess
Warwick Sadler	...	Welch
Mark Lee	...	Gilmore
Andy Anderson	...	Betch
Ewen Leslie	...	Luke Mason
Matt Edgerton	...	Jimmy Nubbs (as Matthew Edgerton)
David Webb	...	Dr. Wiedeman
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bianca Biasi	...	Nurse

Storyline

Story of Bear Bryant's first summer as head football coach at Texas A&M. Bear takes his charges out onto the scorched plains and sees who survives.

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Plot Keywords:

american football | broken nose | based on true story

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Genres:

Drama | Sport

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 December 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Os Jogadores do Texas

Filming Locations:

St Marys, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Company Credits

Production Co:

ESPN Original Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min 89 min (TV)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

With the movie being filmed in Australia, virtually all of the young men playing prospective Aggie football players were Australian. Therefore, all of the Texas accents - as convincing as they might've been - were indeed fake.

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Goofs

During one of the practice scenes at Junction, a current-day, padded belt designed to protect the ribs can be seen underneath a players' jersey. This piece of football equipment was not available in 1954.

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Quotes

Claude Gearheart: [Johnny has suffered from heat stroke] Smokey! Get some help for Johnny here!
Smokey Harper: Tell him to suck it up.
Claude Gearheart: Well, give him somethin'.
[Smokey pulls an aspirin tablet out of his pocket]
Claude Gearheart: Aspirin?
Smokey Harper: What else you want me to do?
Claude Gearheart: You damn witch doctor! We ain't cattle! Now, you help my buddy!
Smokey Harper: All right, I'll have Luke Mason grab him a bag of ice.

User Reviews

School of Hard Knocks

You know what makes this film truly great? It's the unspoken, unwritten bond that develops between a coach and his team, despite whatever differences may separate them.

It's about respect.

It's about trust.

It's about winning attitude, sacrifice, and the price people are willing to pay for a shot at glory.

This is an insightful movie, especially for those who know nothing about the legendary Coach Bryant.

The acting is superb and the story is what it is, a story about an isolated football camp in the blistering heat of Junction City, Texas.

Players were put through a meat grinder in Junction, but in the end, their respect shines bright, and that's the premise.

I watch this film every football season, and I accept it for what it is. It's not the best football movie ever made, but it is a must-see for any football fan, or even anyone who maybe knows nothing about Bryant and his methods. Bear Bryant is a legend and he should be remembered (well, he should be remembered well beyond the scope of just this film). He did win multiple national championships at Alabama and this movie doesn't touch on that, but this movie isn't Bryant-specific; this is about the 8 grueling days of Junction and all those who participated.

My hope with this review is to compel you to watch this film and ignore the negative critique's. This film is what it is, and anyone expecting something more should write a different film.

Thanks, and enjoy.