Kinnick: The Documentary (2022) User Reviews

Well Done Documentary On Why Nile Kinnick Is A Legend Beyond Football

[trcv-93306 · 10/10 · 4 August 2023]

Superb documentary about Nile Kinnick, which covers his entire life, from boyhood in Adel, Iowa, to his glory years at the University of Iowa with him winning the Heisman trophy in 1939, and into his military service during World War 2, where he tragically lost his life at the age of only 24. This documentary is much more than a football story. In an age where most Heisman Trophy winners are only thinking about padding their bank accounts, Kinnick said no to the NFL, and pondered how he could help his fellow man. Then, when war broke out, how he could help his country. Loaded with many rare photos, the documentary is well written, expertly produced, and will hold your interest, even if you are not a football fan. It leaves you wondering what Nile Kinnick could have become and could have accomplished had his life not been cut short at such a young age, and why he is so revered.

Not for me

[JurijFedorov · 6/10 · 24 March 2023]

I'm not American and don't watch American football. So the doc has to speak to me in some other way and it didn't quite do that. I respect the work and history behind it. I love WW2 stuff. But it just drags way too much. It's 40 min too long and doesn't really try to explain why he is important or what he did. Seemingly he was just a great college player and that's that. He never went professional and never really won much of anything. The team he played for was great for a single year, but nothing more than that. There are hundreds of historical teams like this and most others are more interesting and higher quality. We also don't really learn much about the team or players or why it's important. I just don't get why the documentary makers are so eager to hype everything up and bud in with various statements. Instead they should have explained everything right away and created a proper story. And cut out 40 minutes. Basically, he seems like a nice guy for sure. And great at his sport for 1 single year. But it doesn't really excite me. The doc also put a lot of focus on his letters and progressive ideas where he glorified FDR and his top-down leadership that overlooked some democratic aspects in USA. These ideas didn't age well whatsoever. But most importantly they are just boring.

The doc is obviously great for fans of American football. For the rest it may feel a tad overly dramatic. The guy was nice. But not really fascinating.