Imbued with the spirit of 1994’s brilliant documentary Hoop Dreams, Adam Yauch’s energetic flick tells the tale of a group of soon-to-be-huge basketballers as they prepare for a prestigious game at New York’s legendary Rucker Park. Focusing on eight players, Yauch (one third of the Beastie Boys) sifts through the hype to see what drives their passion to join the NBA.
The director’s love of the sport is evident in the bravura game sequences, but his protagonists, although a charmingly motley bunch, are too assured of their future careers to instil much drama into proceedings. As a tribute to the game and its accessibility to all, though, Gunnin’ is hard to beat.