It's damning with the faintest of praise to say that the horrible high-school-lacrosse film Crooked Arrows is marginally better last year's horrible high-school-lacrosse film A Warrior's Heart, but it is. Here, Joe Logan (Brandon Routh) is a half-breed who is forced to coach his father's team so he can push through a lucrative casino deal. As part of the arrangement, Joe must "re-examine his spirit" and "return to the creator's game" to restore pride to his tribe. He must also run shirtless to the mountaintop where a wise old aphorism-spouting Native American goes on about eagles and animals and the ancient game. Crooked Arrows is passable when the characters are on the field, or on a vision quest, but it is problematic whenever it opens its mouth. The film contains one of the least inspiring locker-room speeches ever seen in sports cinema. And the acting is as wooden as the ancient sticks with crooked arrows that give this lousy film its title. The message about teamwork and self worth are valuable, but they — and the game of lacrosse — deserve a better vehicle than this low-budget film, sponsored in part by Reebok.
