Hustle

Cert - 15, Run-time - 1 hours 57 minutes,

Director - Jeremiah Zagar

Often what makes a great sports movie isn’t in the action of the sport itself. It’s in the connection that’s formed with the characters. You care about them, you care about what they’re trying to achieve within their respective sport. It’s what makes me (a person with no interest in sport) consider 2017’s Borg Vs. McEnroe the best film of that year, working as a character study above anything else.

While new-to-Netflix Hustle might not be anything as in-depth in terms of its characters, it does present a likable figure in the form of Adam Sandler’s Stanley Sugarman. A basketball scout for the Philadelphia 76ers getting closer to achieving his goal of becoming a coach, and to finally be at home with his daughter (Jordan Hull) on her birthday for the first time in nine years. However, when team owner Rex Merrick (a fleeting Robert Duvall) passes away, son Vince (Ben Foster) decides to keep ambitious Stanley as a scout, unless he can find the next star player for the team.

Cue the discovery of Spanish street player Bo (Jauncho Hernangomez), a potential star in the making who instantly casts light on Stanley’s hopes of progressing in his career. However, as the pair begin training it’s revealed that Bo needs to work on controlling himself if he’s to properly fit in to the NBA. Certainly, this brings an element of cliche and convention to the narrative. But, when wound into the energy of the various montages and training sequences it’s easy to be distracted from such a point and simply get caught up in the film, and indeed the central pairing of Sandler and Hernangomez.

This is another dramatic-leaning role for Sandler, where he has proven himself to excel before, yet there’s no denying the humour within Hustle. It’s effective and helps to initially bring you in to the world, even if you don’t recognise all the apparent cameos that are revealed in the credits, without the spotlight; at least in terms of humour, being constantly shone on the central figure. Regardless, the tone and style are easily established early on and are generally kept consistent, helping with the overall flow and energy.

Yes, a handful of elements may be familiar, but it’s easy to look past them thanks to the easy and enjoyable viewing that the film provides. You get caught up within the character’s hopes as they try to progress and prove themselves to the major figures in the world of American basketball. All while managing to create a spark within the gameplay sequences themselves, thanks to what’s been built up and the skills we’ve seen to this point. It’s easy to get hooked by Hustle and the not-quite-underdog tale that it engagingly tells. One which is told with ease and energy to make for highly enjoyable viewing.

Jamie Skinner - Four stars