Centers around the life of wrestler Anthony Robles, who was born with one leg and won a national championship in 2011 while competing at Arizona State University.Centers around the life of wrestler Anthony Robles, who was born with one leg and won a national championship in 2011 while competing at Arizona State University.Centers around the life of wrestler Anthony Robles, who was born with one leg and won a national championship in 2011 while competing at Arizona State University.
- Awards
- 7 wins & 2 nominations total
Carlos Solórzano
- Andrew Robles
- (as Carlos Solorzano)
Jordan Nathaniel Wallace
- Walker
- (as Jordan Wallace)
‘Snow White’ Stars Test Their Wits
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe real Anthony Robles was the stunt double for Jharrel Jerome.
- GoofsThe Arizona State "Pitchfork" logo appears throughout the movie. Most of the movie takes place before 2011 and the "pitchfork" logo wasn't officially announced until April 2011.
- Quotes
Judy Robles: A dreamer is only as big as the dreams they chase.
- SoundtracksHeart of a Champion
Written by Nelly (as Cornell Haynes Jr.) and John Tesh
Performed by Nelly featuring Lincoln University Vocal Ensemble
Courtesy of Universal Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises
"Roundball Rock" as sampled in "Heart of a Champion" performed by Nelly
Performed by John Tesh
Courtesy of GTS Records
By arrangement with Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Featured review
When - 12:10 PM
Where - Amazon Prime
With Who - Myself
First Thoughts - There are really solid performances throughout, even from JLo. Jharrel Jerome is definitely an up-and-coming actor to keep an eye on moving forward. His ability to play emotions across his face and with his eyes without uttering a word isn't something that can be taught. Don Cheadle and Michael Pena play Jharrel's coaches in college and high school, respectively, adding a warm father figure presence to the movie that Bobby Cannavale's stepfather character Rick Robles lacks.
The wrestling scenes are well choreographed and not only feel real but through camerawork and editing, help to place the audience in the matches. Speaking of camerawork, that was a point of frustration for me because it felt uneven throughout the movie. There were moments where the cinematography was sharp and looked good and it used some interesting shots, such as shooting beneath the wrestling match scenes as if the camera were the wrestling mat. And then there would be other scenes where the camera was unsteady for no reason and it pulled me out of the film. The color grading during the first third of the movie also felt amateurish, further driving home the cheap feel of the cinematography.
Despite these issues, overall this was a good sports movie that kept my attention the entire runtime.
Full Review -
Unstoppable In recent years, I've felt myself grow cynical toward the sports movie sub genre. The cliches and tropes that can be found in nearly every entry into said sub genre have become so uninspired and boring. That being said, I went into Unstoppable with an open mind because having lived a third of my life in Arizona and with both of my brothers-in-law were wrestlers, I had a deeply personal connection to Anthony Robles' story.
I'm happy to say that not only was I not disappointed, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Firstly, every performance given here was solid, particularly from Jharrel Jerome as Anthony Robles. His ability to portray the wide range of emotions his character is feeling through his physical acting abilities is impressive, especially for such a young actor. Michael Peña and Don Cheadle play his high school and college coaches, respectively. They bring a driving, fatherly presence to film, something that contrasts drastically to Anthony's abusive stepfather, played to an uncomfortable degree by Bobby Cannavale. Even Jennifer Lopez, whose acting chops are debatable, does a stellar job in the movie, portraying Anthony's strong willed, loving mother.
On the technical side of things, the soundtrack is well cultivated for the time period, the late 2000's - early 2010's, to further immerse the audience in the story while also highlighting the emotions being expressed in each scene.
The editing, especially during the wrestling matches, was also well done. Fast-paced but also not afraid to hold certain shots for maximum impact, it keeps the audience's attention but doesn't give them a headache with a bunch of fast cuts.
My biggest issue was the cinematography and how uneven it felt during the runtime of the film. During the first act, the camerawork is shaky for no reason, and the color grading makes it appear amateurish. It does improve as the movie goes on, with some really cool shots during the wrestling matches coming from beneath the actual matches.
Overall, despite some stereotypical cliches found within, the deep heart found here helps to look past those issues.
What are your thoughts on the film?
First Thoughts - There are really solid performances throughout, even from JLo. Jharrel Jerome is definitely an up-and-coming actor to keep an eye on moving forward. His ability to play emotions across his face and with his eyes without uttering a word isn't something that can be taught. Don Cheadle and Michael Pena play Jharrel's coaches in college and high school, respectively, adding a warm father figure presence to the movie that Bobby Cannavale's stepfather character Rick Robles lacks.
The wrestling scenes are well choreographed and not only feel real but through camerawork and editing, help to place the audience in the matches. Speaking of camerawork, that was a point of frustration for me because it felt uneven throughout the movie. There were moments where the cinematography was sharp and looked good and it used some interesting shots, such as shooting beneath the wrestling match scenes as if the camera were the wrestling mat. And then there would be other scenes where the camera was unsteady for no reason and it pulled me out of the film. The color grading during the first third of the movie also felt amateurish, further driving home the cheap feel of the cinematography.
Despite these issues, overall this was a good sports movie that kept my attention the entire runtime.
Full Review -
Unstoppable In recent years, I've felt myself grow cynical toward the sports movie sub genre. The cliches and tropes that can be found in nearly every entry into said sub genre have become so uninspired and boring. That being said, I went into Unstoppable with an open mind because having lived a third of my life in Arizona and with both of my brothers-in-law were wrestlers, I had a deeply personal connection to Anthony Robles' story.
I'm happy to say that not only was I not disappointed, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Firstly, every performance given here was solid, particularly from Jharrel Jerome as Anthony Robles. His ability to portray the wide range of emotions his character is feeling through his physical acting abilities is impressive, especially for such a young actor. Michael Peña and Don Cheadle play his high school and college coaches, respectively. They bring a driving, fatherly presence to film, something that contrasts drastically to Anthony's abusive stepfather, played to an uncomfortable degree by Bobby Cannavale. Even Jennifer Lopez, whose acting chops are debatable, does a stellar job in the movie, portraying Anthony's strong willed, loving mother.
On the technical side of things, the soundtrack is well cultivated for the time period, the late 2000's - early 2010's, to further immerse the audience in the story while also highlighting the emotions being expressed in each scene.
The editing, especially during the wrestling matches, was also well done. Fast-paced but also not afraid to hold certain shots for maximum impact, it keeps the audience's attention but doesn't give them a headache with a bunch of fast cuts.
My biggest issue was the cinematography and how uneven it felt during the runtime of the film. During the first act, the camerawork is shaky for no reason, and the color grading makes it appear amateurish. It does improve as the movie goes on, with some really cool shots during the wrestling matches coming from beneath the actual matches.
Overall, despite some stereotypical cliches found within, the deep heart found here helps to look past those issues.
What are your thoughts on the film?
- CommonSenseCritic
- Jan 21, 2025
- Permalink
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Unstoppable: The Anthony Robles Story
- Filming locations
- Tempe, Arizona, USA(location)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 56 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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