Gridiron Gang

Gridiron Gang follows Sean Porter, a probation officer at a Los Angeles juvenile detention facility, who grows frustrated by how few of the young inmates leave with any real chance of a different life. Together with his colleague Malcolm Moore, he proposes forming an American football team within the institution, hoping the discipline and teamwork of the sport will give the teenagers a sense of responsibility, self-respect and a path back into society. The effort meets resistance from Porter's superiors and from rival high school coaches unwilling to put their players on the same field as convicted youths, while gang rivalries among the recruits threaten the team from the inside. The film is based on a true story.

Phil Joanou directed the film, which sits between Entropy and the short The Punisher: Dirty Laundry in a directing career that began with Three O'Clock High in 1987. Jeff Maguire wrote the screenplay, and Neal H. Moritz and Lee Stanley produced. Dwayne Johnson plays Sean Porter, with Xzibit as Malcolm Moore, and L. Scott Caldwell, Leon Rippy, Kevin Dunn and Jade Yorker among the large credited cast.

Released in September 2006, the film cost about 30 million dollars and took roughly 41 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6.9/10 from around 83,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.1/10 from about 1,140 votes. A critics' rating of 5.8/10 from 101 reviews places it below both audience scores.