Rarely do remakes improve on the original but Youngblood might be one of the examples. This beautifully filmed drama skates a thin line between the sports movie cliches inherent in the genre and its refusal to completely give in to them. Strong performances from James, Doyle, and Underwood really cement this as a solid watch.
Youngblood is an exploration of the toxic masculinity in sport, with a particularity for hockey. It is about taking responsibility for yourself and your actions. It's about the ways men process pain, both the good and the bad.
It is filmed with an eye towards a kinetic energy. The hockey is breathtaking even though there is less of it than you might expect. But director Davis brings this energy to all the scenes. It is an exciting film to watch. Some of this means perhaps it cuts some corners and doesn't develop everything as much as I might have liked to keep its tight runtime and story telling momentum.
Youngblood is a strong film from Davis who has focused on hockey and black players in previous films (documentaries). This fiction film shows strong promise.
Youngblood
Starring: Ashton James, Blair Underwood, Shawn Doyle, Henri Richer-Picard, Tamara Podemski, Oluniké Adeliyi
Director: Hubert Davis
Writers: Charles Officer, Josh Epstein, Kyle Rideout, Seneca Aaron
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