Bennett’s War

It’s difficult to tell sometimes if the “family-friendly” label serves to bless or curse a decent movie. But tuned to the frequency of rad sports films of the past, the accessible Bennett’s War holds itself together nicely.

Opening on the highlands of Afghanistan, Alex Ranarivelo’s latest feature introduces Sgt. Marshall Bennett (Michael Roark, Beauty and the Beast), who sidestepped a bright career in motocross to ride dirt bikes for the Army. (Can’t get more than rad than that!) The early combat action proves to be lacking, however, as computer-generated muzzle flashes and blood splatter come off as somewhat unintentionally funny.

But despite its title, Bennett’s War is not a war movie. Rather, it’s a new entry in the against-all-odds subgenre of sports flicks. Here, the broken soldier returns home and conquers doubt and injury to prove he still has the stuff of champions.

Roark takes the slightly underwritten Marshall and fills the voids with gritty leading-man charm. Likewise, country singer Trace Adkins mixes a surprisingly good cocktail out of lesser ingredients, playing grizzled father and emotional rock for Bennett and his stressed-out wife, Sophie (Allison Paige, “Days of Our Lives”). Meanwhile, no sports film is complete without the wiser, older trainer figure, a role filled here by the film’s producer, Ali Afshar. He steps up as Cyrus, the story’s resident sage and dirt bike shop proprietor, and delivers some easy quips along the way.

Wasting not a moment on long, emotional close-ups, you won’t confuse the performances in this movie for Oscar bait. But they move the plot along so we can get back to the dirt bike action without delay.

While Bennett’s War provides everything needed for a solid sports movie, there are a few missing pieces that would have helped it break from the pack, such as an original song (see: Rocky, “Gonna Fly Now”) and an extended training montage. Nevertheless, Bennett and family cross the finish line in good shape.