A basketball documentary where the climactic game looks like a Hong Kong wire-fu epic.
75
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
The Summer Olympics may offer more intricate, arduous and high-stakes spectacles, but nothing will top the last half-hour of Gunnin' for That #1 Spot for adrenalized high spirits.
70
VarietyRonnie Scheib
VarietyRonnie Scheib
Beastie Boy Adam Yauch proves he can make a comprehensive, state-of-the-art docu of interest to basketball aficionados.
As guileless and eager as the most avid fan, Gunnin’ is neither cautionary nor analytical, allowing its insights to occur organically and without fancy camera moves.
60
New York Daily NewsJoe Neumaier
New York Daily NewsJoe Neumaier
Culminating in a high-scoring, exciting game, "Gunnin'" scores.
50
Village Voice
Village Voice
As each player's run through the same routine--hometown meet-and-greet, biographical sketch, hasty interview--the burden of the formulaic structure starts to wear.
For all the flash and dazzle, Gunnin' for That #1 Spot never comes close to the power and intimacy of 1994's "Hoop Dreams." The comparison may be unfair, but, given the subject matter, it's inevitable.