Heart of Champions (also known as Pressure Point in Australia and the United Kingdom, and Swing in Germany, also its working title) is a 2021 American sports drama film directed by Michael Mailer, from a screenplay by Vojin Gjaja. It stars Michael Shannon, Alexander Ludwig, Charles Melton, David James Elliott and Ash Santos.
The film was released on October 29, 2021 by Vertical Entertainment. The film follows the rowing team of a fictional Ivy League university as they aim to win the national championship under the tutelage of a new coach, a Vietnam veteran.
Contents
Cast
Michael Shannon as Jack Murphy
Alexander Ludwig as Alex Singleton
Charles Melton as Chris Davenport
David James Elliott as Mr. Singleton
Ash Santos as Nisha
Alex MacNicoll as John Kimball
Michael Tacconi as Ted Taylor
Andrew Creer as M.J. Carter
David Cade as Jeff Lance
Anton Hedayat as Tom Diverlinksi
Jon Lemmon as Jake Pimczech
Spencer Squire as Ben Anders
Devin Woodson as Yates Sanchez
Thomas Kasp as Logan
Lilly Krug as Sara
Caroline Cole as Lili
Lance E. Nichols as Jack Harris
Production
In May 2019, it was announced Michael Shannon had joined the cast of the film, with Howard Deutch directing from a screenplay by Vojin Gjaja, Shannon will also serve as a producer on the film. In October 2019, Alexander Ludwig and Charles Melton joined the cast of the film, with Michael Mailer replacing Deutch as director. In November 2019, David James Elliott joined the cast of the film.
Principal photography began in Louisiana on November 2, 2019, and concluded on December 3, 2019. Louisiana State University served as a main set for the film.
Release
The film was released in select theatres on October 29, 2021 under a deal with Vertical Entertainment. It also became available on VOD services on November 19, 2021.
Critical reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 29% of 17 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.70/10.