Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

People are voting emotionally.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

This documentary primarily concerns itself with the rise of all conquering West Indian team of 1970s and 80s but then goes on to show how a sporting team managed to become the icons of a people longing for their own cultural identity at the world's stage.The Caribbean, long oppressed by the British empire which had left it in a tumultuous state with the black population feeling the racism worldwide. From the black power movement in the USA to the anti apartheid protests in South Africa , the islanders felt brotherhood with them and searched longingly for anything that could inspire them and make them feel equal to other peoples of the world.This is where the legendary W.Indies team arises from the idyllic beaches of the Caribbean. A team initially ridiculed playing for fun, things change dramatically when a leader emerges who forges a world beating team after learning from other superior teams. This team then goes on a run which has not been equaled by any other team in any other sport. What is important is the sense of worth that it instills in the people of the Caribbean who were until then living in the shadows of their masters they so perceived. A brilliant historical account no less, this documentary will be cherished by the Islanders.

Steven Riley's documentary starts with highlights of some fierce fast bowling and batsmen crumpling to the ground. Those violent but fulgurant images straightaway set the enthralling tone for the entire 80 minutes. This documentary tells us the true story of a social-rebellion by a cricket team. Riley very deftly manages to showcase the transformation of the West Indies Test Cricket Team from entertaining but lacking substance " calypso cricketers" to become vehement combatants.Documentary starts with the turbulent 60s and early 70s with racism in the world at its zenith and the West Indies Cricket struggling even to make a palpable mark in International Cricket. They don't have a leader in their team who can unite all the Caribbean players from different islands under one flag of West Indies. Not much time has passed since their liberation from the British colonial rule and the remnants from the colonial rule are still visible in all the islands of Caribbean. Citizens of all the Caribbean islands are still oppressed and they all need something to hold on to, something they can be proud of, something they can all boast without ignominy as being purely Caribbean. Enters, one of the best captains of Test Cricket History "Clive Llyod", who after the disastrous 1975 tour of Australia resolves to embrace the merciless tactics of their vitriol-hurling adversaries (Australians) for their own realization and thus starts one of the greatest transformations ever in sports history.The narration takes us through the formative years of West Indies test Cricket strengthening themselves as a veritable world power. From the calamitous Australian tour of 1975 to renowned "Blackwash" england tour of 1984, it shows all the political and the social ups and downs of West Indies cricket and its impact on the Caribbean society.Riley, while showing us all the political & racism related facets of those years and their impact on West Indies cricket, astutely manages to keep the prime focus on the strengths of West Indies Cricket. Documentary deftly and instructively tell us the about the unsubduable Viv Richards as their batting lynchpin, ferocious Pace Quartet as their bowling arsenal & Clive Llyod as their inspiring leader. Random musical numbers infuse a kind of Caribbean vitality to the documentary. The part describing the nicknames & strengths of the Fearsome Foursome "Roberts, Garner, Holding and Marshall" was simply awe-inspiring. These 80 minutes germinated a serious respect for Sir Vivian Richards in me not only as a batsman but also as a human being. Only down side with the documentary is Riley's exaggerated depiction of apartheid and racism in some shots.In a nutshell, this is the story of one of the greatest test teams ever, a team which wanted to beat their former masters in their own game and if you are a big fan of the game of cricket, you sure can't afford to miss this one.My Rating: 8/10, Not to be missed.P.S: Personally, I think " Whispering Death" is one of the coolest nicknames in sports history.

Let me start off by saying that I am a big cricket fan, and was looking forward to this very eagerly. I was very excited to get hold of a copy. It started off pretty well... It showed great potential by showing what was happening in the field, but then gradually, as the movie progressed, it began focusing more on the politics and other drama than cricket. That disappointed me the most! And of course, this is very much biased from the West Indies perspective. All the facts are not stated. Just the facts that support WI is put up. So overall, a disappointment! I had high expectations on a documentary/movie about cricket, with me being a big fan of Cricket!

Unlike cricket, it's a film of two halves. The first covers the parlous, parochial state of West Indian cricket early in the 1970s and its determination to better itself. The second half describes the impact, political involvement and legacy. It's a stirring film, made up of period footage narrated by the sportsmen in interview and overlaid with a reggae-heavy soundtrack (as well as performances from West Indian musician-balladeers recording the exploits and character of the protagonists).I liked the film very much, not least as I was absorbed by cricket in the 1980s myself. As a document it achieves a fair balance, not least in the latter stages which deal with differences in the team itself as some decide to play in South Africa in defiance of sanctions. In the second half I feel it loses the same focus with which the first blazes along, just like the titular fire. I'd have liked to hear more about the impact in Britain at the time of the Brixton riots (1981) and of the structure and capability of the West Indian cricket board. I also found the editing a little contrived, with recourse to footage of batsmen taking balls to the body used increasingly arbitrarily to spike the drama.There are irresistible moments though - when Michael Holding is shown taking his run-up, for example, with the voice-over identifying the indelibly African character of motion as the next funk track kicks in. It's great fun and really sells the greats of that marvellous period. 5/10