A Season on the Brink - TV-Mature\nStarring: Brian Dennehy, James Lafferty\nDirected by: Robert Mandel\nPremiering: 8 p.m. Sunday \non ESPN and ESPN2 (edited for language)\nBob Knight is one of the most beloved, most controversial and least understood sports figures in the nation. His methods of motivation have been attacked by some and respected by others, but even his critics cannot argue against the fact that he is one of the greatest head coaches in the history of college basketball. In his 30 years at IU he amassed 763 wins (good for fifth all-time), 11 Big Ten Titles, five Final Fours and three National Titles. These are all impressive numbers and proof of his greatness. But for proof of his temper, you needn't look further than a list of transfers. More than 35 players left Bob Knight's Hoosiers, including nine since 1995. ESPN's "A Season on the Brink" looks at these aspects of Knight during the course of the 1985-86 season.\nThe film opens with Knight standing on Omaha Beach, speaking fondly of the D-Day invasion, setting him up as "The General" with a strong love for his country and a stronger love for discipline. It then ping-pongs between Knight's Gold-winning '84 Olympic Basketball Team, the chair-tossing incident and sound bites from loyal Hoosiers who love Coach Knight. Finally, we come to the '85-'86 season, one that ended with a sub-par record by Knight's standards and two students transferring. \nI had two big problems with this movie. First off, what was that season "on the brink" of? His firing, which came 14 years later? Another National Title, which came one year later? It's unclear. I would imagine that it's the former, and if I were ESPN, I would have made the movie about the 1999-00 season, his last at IU. That season featured the Neil Reed scandal, another first round NCAA exit and ended with his placement on the "Zero-Tolerance Policy" that would eventually lead to his firing. I understand that it's based on a book, but a film about his final season would have been more entertaining and meaningful. And they would not have lost the insight into Knight's explosive temper, softer private side or his relationships with and effects on his players. A modern setting also would have avoided the problems the filmmakers had with 1986 IU students who walk across campus wearing what appear to be North Face jackets. \nMy second problem was with Brian Dennehy, not for his performance but for his casting. Dennehy is a great actor, and is able to summon the rage necessary for Knight's outbursts. But he does not have that killer look in his eyes that Knight had. Looking at Bob Knight, I was never sure what he was going to do next. There was always a sense that he could blow up at any time. Dennehy's Knight is sadder, with less force, which is fine for his quiet scenes but feels untruthful in scenes with the media or in public outbursts such as the throwing of the chair. \nNot surprisingly, the movie was reminiscent of "Blue Chips," which drew parallels to Bob Knight. It is filmed in a pseudo-documentary style with "interviews" of Knight, former IU President John Ryan and townspeople who, for the most part, praise Knight as a coach and a man. The acting is pretty good, but the supporting characters are underdeveloped, and Dennehy's Knight doesn't have the presence that the real Knight seemed to have. Having seen "A Season on the Brink," I'd just as soon rent "Blue Chips" again.\n
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