For a movie that speaks of focusing on the king, this movie didn't follow its own advice. It was all over trying to follow different subplots. But its heart was in the right place, and it landed on some wonderful lessons.

What otherwise could've been a mere TV-movie, I'll give a borderline thumbs up to for Oscar winner Cuba Gooding, Jr.'s performance. He brings you around to caring about the plight of this ex-con who forms a chess- playing club for inner-city youths. You realize he's not perfect, has made his share of mistakes, and yes, will probably make more. But at the same time, you empathize with him, and want him to succeed. And chess?-yes, not the most exciting topic for a movie, but the movie is more about the story of the lead character and the other troubled kids in the film- look at it more as a "Dangerous Pawns" (take-off on "Dangerous Minds")..??

"This is a king. This is your life. One mistake and it can be taken away." Eugene Brown (Gooding Jr.) is an ex-felon who is struggling to find a job and relate to his kids. After finding a job as a high school janitor he is asked to watch the detention kids one day until they can find a replacement. When he brings up the topic of chess he begins to change the lives of the "troubled kids" forever. I love movies based on true stories, but I was worried about seeing this going in. One one hand a true story with Cuba Gooding Jr, that is good. On the other hand though I thought how many times can they remake Lean On Me? After movies like that one and Dangerous Minds, Freedom Writers, Fame, etc... I wondered how different can this one be. While I have to admit it wasn't 100% different it was very very good and much much better then I was expecting. The best part about this movie is that it stayed just a step or two away from being way to cheesy to be enjoyed but it did a good job of changing things just enough to keep it feeling real while keeping the emotion that it needed. Different enough from the previous "helping inner city kids" movies to make it interesting and worth seeing. Overall, very good and never took the over-the-top cheesy way out that so many of these types of movies do. That is a good thing and because of that I highly recommend the movie. I give this an A-.

Well you are never going to believe me, but this is the darnedest truth right here. I just watched a good movie staring Cuba Gooding Jr.. I am still a bit surprised but, let's get to the movie. Solid, well acted, and heart warming. In no way a new story, but a true one. It is most like Stand and Deliver, or Dangerous Minds, but in no way a copy of either, it will just make you think of those. Even a bit of The Principal in there, but just a bit. There is no shortage of heart, even if the rival gang does give up just a bit too easy. I can only guess that they saw the positive impact as better than easy money themselves eventually. I Enjoyed the really well developed relationships between all of the characters, and the fact that Cuba's hero is strong enough to be what people need. I recommend this one to anyone, the violence is quite muted, the main story is spent mostly around the chess boards, the language is mostly tame, and there are none but the best of values to be learned from here. Really should only be an 8 the way they have PG-13 the heck out of it, but I really think you will enjoy it to the nines.