Hotshot rugby player Rick Penning was the star player of his Arizona high school team until a fateful brush with the law forces him to ponder the consequences of his actions in a Salt Lake City juvenile detention center.
Acting
Gary Cole's weirdly compelling Mormon coach—think Ted Lasso's intense uncle.
Practical Effects
Actual rugby sequences that look like real humans colliding, not CGI blobs.
Director
Ryan Little
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Coach Larry Gelwix was a real person who coached Highland Rugby to 20 national championships; the film was largely funded by Mormon investors and shot in Utah with local players.
This is essentially a stealth religious film—no explicit Mormon doctrine, but the 'honor code' and redemption arc mirror LDS youth programming of the era.
US
