Ryan Phillippe

Broyles and Haggis redundantly hammer home the same point in scene after scene...while fail[ing] in 132 minutes fully to breathe life into their triad of reluctant heroes.

Ray isn't beyond teasing out implications from his true stories, but he's also smart enough to know where to quit, allowing the viewer to resolve the whys and wherefores.

The film teeters on the balance until arriving at its genuinely moving and depressingly honest final act.

A reasonably well-made low-end pic that serves as a cautionary tale for callow teens.