IN Britain, we berate our schools for the lack of physical education in the national curriculum.

Across the Atlantic, it's an entirely different ball game.

Sporting excellence within the high school system binds entire communities: the star player on a basketball or American football team can become a demi-god to his peers.

Coach Carter is the true story of one man who dared to challenge the firmly held belief that results on the field or court outweigh grades in the classroom.

Businessman Ken Carter (Samuel L Jackson) accepts the position of coach to the basketball team at his alma mater, Richmond High.

The team, The Oilers, is in disarray - the players are undisciplined, they lack focus; little wonder they won just four games last season so Carter institutes radical changes.

He forces his players to sign a contact in which they promise to turn up to practice on time, sit in the front row of their classes, wear jackets and ties on game days, and - most importantly - maintain a 2.3 grade point average.

Thanks to Carter's teaching methods, The Oilers embark on a fairy-tale 13-0 winning streak, led by the scoring efforts of gentle giant Battle (Nana Gbewonyo), good guy Kenyon Stone (Rob Brown) and Ken's own son Damien (Robert Ri'chard).

However, in the classroom, the boys collectively fail and when Carter reads their disastrous progress reports, he takes drastic action: padlocking the school gym and cancelling vital championship games until the players improve their grades.

Coach Carter is best described as Dead Poetz In Da Hood, fusing the archetypal story of an inspirational teacher who incites his young charges to greatness, with the emotional angst of African American teens struggling to escape the crime and poverty of the ghetto.

Jackson delivers another powerhouse performance, cutting his cocksure players down to size with some choice words.

Unfortunately, screenwriters Mark Schwahn and John Gatins overcook some of his stirring team speeches and the heartfelt finale doesn't seem really remotely true.

The 136-minute running time is also an unnecessary test of endurance.

Refreshingly, the film doesn't have a conventional happy ever after finale, which prevents the male bonding and triumph against adversity becoming too mawkish.

Rating - 6/10