Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

Neive Bellamy Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Jakoba True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

miracleinmotion This movie was excellent. I didn't look at anything technical, only how this teacher was there for his students. Teachers need to remember why they wanted to teach. Sometimes the teacher is the only person they can ever go to. Teacher was there for the disappointments and the victories. It is also surprising what a difference it made in his personal life. I know for a fact the encouragement and the negative words stay with someone for there whole life. There should be more teachers like him. All in all I enjoyed that movie. There was drama, love, and for me,tears. I would definitely buy a DVD if there is one made. I would like to comment on Ted Danson, he was superb. Not quite like the man he usually portrays on TV series. thank you

Marj Whitney I thought this was one of the best things Ted Danson has done. I liked the story and I liked all the kids! I must admit this is one of my favorite kind of stories. I think Richard was a great teacher and he accomplished what many teachers only hope to accomplish. I have great admiration for teachers who use innovative ways of teaching children who don't seem to want to learn. In this film, the teacher uses the game of chess as the instrument of learning. It may seem strange that children would find this game interesting. That's where the intellect of the teacher shines through.I highly recommend this movie to one and all.

shneur The genre of "inspired and unusual teachers who impact the lives of their students" goes back at least to "Goodbye Mr. Chips" (1939) and perhaps farther than that. Many of us still remember our reactions to "To Sir, With Love" (1967) and "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" (1969). The present effort, based on the founding of "Chess in the Schools" by David MacEnulty, doesn't rank with these "greats," but it's a respectable sentiment piece and makes up for its formulaic plot to some extent with notably excellent acting. I think Ted Danson is generally underrated, and his performance here is skillful and convincing. I don't know what the real-life MacEnulty was like, but I can imagine him being just about like Danson's portrayal. The five young people who constitute the "Knights" chess team are the heart of this movie, and all are serious actors, though a bit long-in-the-tooth to be in the fourth grade. One gets so accustomed to that misrepresentation, especially in American films, that it goes almost unnoticed. If you watch enough movies, you start to wonder why the real kids you know are so LITTLE! Anyway, this is a not-bad film with a good story to tell, and it won't give anybody nightmares.

johnnyb-10 Knights of the South Bronx is based on the story of David MacEnulty, one of the first coaches in New York City's Chess-in-the-Schools program. Ted Danson plays the MacEnulty character, named Richard Mason in the movie.Danson's character, a fired corporate whistle-blower, takes a job as a substitute teacher in an elementary school in an economically depressed neighborhood. A chess expert, he finds that is the one way he can bond with his class and get them to learn.A motivated teacher can change the world, and it seems some of the best have come from corporate backgrounds and have made teaching a second career. Jaime Escalante of Stand and Deliver fame was a Silicon Valley executive before finding his true calling teaching math to inner-city youths. Danson is believable and as always, likable as Mason/MacEnulty. The four children with the biggest roles are charmers. Keke Palmer, a 12-year-old beauty who made a big impression playing opposite William H. Macy in The Wool Cap is every bit as impressive as Kenya Russell, a girl who refuses to let her crack head mother destroy her future. Malcolm David Kelley is Jimmy Washington, a kid who refuses to be daunted or cowed by beatings administered by the local gang toughs. Yucini Diaz is Renee Soto, who has the job of looking after her kindergärtner brother, Dawson, who turns out to be the true chess prodigy. The exuberant Dawson is played to perfection by Antonio Ortiz.Many of MacEnulty's original students are now in college because chess broadened their horizons beyond the South Bronx. MacEnulty himself has become a successful author of chess books for kids.While the movie is predictable and formulaic, the story is real. You could do a lot worse things with two hours than watch Knights of the South Bronx. 7/10