“Another life lesson?” snaps flailing foster kid John (Shane Graham), as his new family attempt to throw him another emotional lifeline. This inspirational drama-cum-antiracist statement, sponsored by the likes of Vans, Etnies and Powell-Peralta, does indeed come over a bit like the action-sports version of the Disney movie but is luckily given just enough emotional ballast by its performers.
Graham stars as real-life BMX star John Buultjens – whose story has been transposed from Glasgow to Oakdale, California – who is taken into care at the start of the film aged nine for stabbing his abusive father (played by Buultjens himself). Already being drawn into the orbit of Nazi gangs, with a small swastika forcibly carved into his neck, this white supremacist poppet has to fight for his life in juvie, and grows into a tight-lipped, perpetually vigilant teenager. Then one day his social worker finds him a place in the foster home of mixed-race couple Marianna (Sasha Alexander) and Eldridge Buultjens (Ludacris, on secondment from Fast & Furious ).
John’s hostile glances and bigoted quips run right off Eldridge, who gives as good as he gets. “I wanna let you know I packed your lunch myself today – I even threw some crackers in there.” But teaching him to ride a bike is the first inroad towards getting John to expose his vulnerabilities; after he pulls a neat 360 off his school steps, it becomes obvious the kid has talent. Makeshift father and son become closer after John receives an answer to his question, “Why me?” – Eldridge has also come out of institutional care and values a survivor.
This core of shared pain, shame and resilience gives vital heft to the tritely relayed antiracist message (as John inevitably runs into his former gang) and to the BMX competition climax, which follows the well-worn berms and jumps of the sports drama. Graham and Ludacris have good, combative chemistry: the youngster, who looks like Michael Shannon, with a face sharpened to an arrowhead; the latter soaking up confrontation with almost amused relish. If the next Fast & Furious spin-off wants to go eco, it could do worse than getting these two to hit the pedals again.
