Boaz Yakin's Remember the Titans boasts only one major star (Denzel Washington), but it does have an appealing cast of fresh unknowns and a winning emphasis on substance over self-indulgent style.

Set in Alexandria, Virginia in 1971, the fact-based story begins with the integration of black and white students at T C Williams High School. The effort to improve race relations is most keenly felt on the school's football team, the Titans, and bigoted tempers flare when a black head coach (Washington) is appointed and his victorious predecessor (Will Patton) reluctantly stays on as his assistant. It's affirmative action at its most volatile, complicated by the mandate that the coach will be fired if he loses a single game in the Titans' 13-game season.

The players represent a hotbed of racial tension, but as the team struggle towards unity and gridiron glory, Remember the Titans builds on several subplots and character dynamics to become an inspirational drama of Rocky-like proportions. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

On the DVD: Remember the Titans looks impressive in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, with Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS 5.1 sound options equally up to the "big game" challenge. Extras include a "making of" feature, hosted by Lynn Swann, which will seem a tad on the sentimental side for non-American audiences; but to balance the schmaltz there are two more interesting behind-the-scenes featurettes: "Denzel Becomes Boone" and "Beating the Odds". The commentary is standard, relatively uninspired stuff, with director Boaz Yakin, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and writer Gregory Allen Howard giving the low-down on the production. Even with the addition of a couple of deleted scenes and the theatrical trailer there isn’t really anything to get DVD aficionados drooling here. --Kristen Bowditch