Halftime Hype

After captivating fans with his chronicle of the United States' men's national team in the past three World Cups, "Dying Bravely" filmmaker Nick Butler has produced another great piece, "Clint Dempsey - The Fighter." In my review of Butler's previous work, I praised his excellent ability to tell a story and reveal things that a casual fan may not have known - qualities he continued to exemplify in his latest montage.

The video revolves much around the early death of Clint's sister, Jennifer, a nationally-ranked tennis star in the works as well as emphasizing Clint's resilience. There's no doubt that soccer is a physical sport, but few players, nay athletes, have taken as many hard knocks as Dempsey. Among the most intriguing parts of the video was a shot of Clint in his high school yearbook. Asked where he'd hope to be in five years, Clint answered, "Playing professional soccer in Europe." Well, let's just say the Fulham starter went on to accomplish his goal.

Interestingly enough, the production was commissioned at the request of Dempsey's brother, Ryan, who was impressed with "Dying Bravely." Since it was uploaded on October 11, it has attracted over 7,200 views and struck a chord amongst soccer fans everywhere. The video was surely well-received by Ryan, who shipped an autographed cleat and sports bag signed by Clint himself.

"I meant it to be a gift to Clint, my sister, my family, and to people out there who have run into obstacles or tragedy on their journey to achieve their own goals," said Ryan Dempsey. "I wanted something that showed how close my brother and sister were so people could better understand the motivation behind Clint's success. But I also wanted it to show moments in the games where things weren't going Clint's way in order to demonstrate what it takes to keep fighting on. It's been said that soccer mirrors life in so many ways. In my opinion that's the main theme between the two."

"Over 90 minutes, mistakes will happen. Your body will get tired or hurt. That never automatically means that the game is over. Those that want it bad enough, will shut out the pain and will forget the mistakes and will continue towards their goal. Even if you don't win or acheive your goal, you want to be able to look back and say that you didn't quit. The pain that's caused by looking back and saying 'I didn't give it all I had when i had the chance' is worse than any physical or emotional pain you'll ever feel in a game."

Overall, the video cast a unique light on Dempsey, casting him as the hard worker that he is while touching on his emotional past. Butler actually included sound bites from Clint, as well as motivational recordings from the likes of Sylvester Stallone and Billy Bob Thornton. He continued to do a brilliant job of synchronizing the music and the clips, another element which interested Dempsey.

In the end, Ryan Dempsey and this blogger left with the same thought: What an amazing video made by an equally amazing filmmaker. "I'm hopin' Nick continues with his soccer career," advised Dempsey, "but also keeps the idea in the back of his head that maybe a career in film wouldn't be a bad idea."