4192: The Crowning of the Hit King

I have always been a baseball fan, Yankees. I did not get a chance to see Pete Rose as much as I would have liked to, but he was always special, the best. This documentary is so well made, it brings to light that Baseball is not just a sport but a art form, the most important American art form, and no artist ever excelled in his craft as well Pete Rose did. This film is a must see for anyone. The makers of this documentary knew what they were doing by having Pete Rose tell the story, he is as great a story teller, as he is a baseball player. I have been very disappointed with many documentaries, as of late, due to fact that they are sloppy and incoherent with too many people being interviewed in sound bites. This was truly a remarkable job it flowed so evenly, never was it boring and it painted a much larger picture then baseball, or Pete Rose, it was the great American story. America and baseball are so closely intertwined, that nothing defines our culture, history, and who we are as baseball does. You may leave this film loving baseball more, you will certainly Love Pete Rose, but I assure anyone who sees this film will come away with a much deeper appreciation and love Of America.

This is a fascinating and important sports documentary about the most-winning athlete in the history of ALL sports ----> Peter Edward Rose.

It details how Pete Rose became the all-time baseball hit king, beating Ty Cobb's record, and then going on to produce an astonishing 4256 baseball hits.

To this day, Pete Rose #14, has the record for the most hits in the great-American game of baseball. And yet he is not in Baseball Hall of Fame, despite owning what is arguably the greatest single major league record in the history of the game.

This movie tells his incredible story from start to finish, as he grows up, hustles his way into the major-leagues, and then out-works, out-hustles and out-performs, just about every other player for 24-seasons.

PETE ROSE -- HIT KING.

MOST WINNING PLAYER, ANY SPORT, EVER.

ONCE AND FUTURE HALL OF FAMER.

See the movie 4192 -- you will enjoy it and you will see just how totally and incredibly amazing everything Pete Rose accomplished as a baseball player.

This movie gets 10-Stars!!

This review contains spoilers only if you don't know much about sports history, but I digress...

In 2009 James Toback directed the film Tyson. A documentary about "Iron Mike" Tyson that took you through his rocky childhood, his relationship with Cus D'Amato, his meteoric rise, and devastating fall. The aim of that particular doc was clear: It attempted to humanize the former heavyweight champion.

I see the same ambitions with 4192: The Crowining of the Hit King. Not in the sense that it tries to humanize Charlie Hustle. Many baseball fans (including myself) already sympathize with Pete Rose, knowing full well his lifetime ban was caused by his own pride and hubris.

What this documentary does attempt to do (and I believe succeeds at doing) is to acknowledge Pete Rose as an extraordinary baseball player to whom few can hold a candle. Like Toback 4192's director, Terry Lukemire, delves into Rose's childhood, his influences as ascended in the ranks (father Harry Rose and Tony Perez), however it ends when Rose breaks Cobb's record. placing the ending there specifically states the film's purpose: To make a case, based purely on merit, for Rose's entrance into Cooperstown.

The way Lukemire makes his case, however, is absolutely brilliant. It's really amazing how good a documentary you can make when you have choice stock footage and good editing. Also like Toback, Lukemire really knows how to draw fantastic responses from his interviews. I have never seen Pete Rose more animated and expressive (keep in mind I was born after the Big Red Machine) and hearing his recollections was the strongest part of the picture.

4192: The Crowning of the Hit King does have a specific end result that it's aiming for. With that in mind it does it incredibly well and I highly recommend this documentary.

4192: The Crowning of the Hit King (2010)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Exceptional documentary taking a look at the career of Pete Rose who would go down into history for breaking Ty Cobb's all-time hit record on September 11, 1985. The documentary features Pete sitting and discussing the big moments of his career from how he got involved in baseball, being signed by the Reds, various World Series titles, famous hit streaks, signing with Philadelphia, returning home to the Reds and just about everything else you can think of. There's the infamous take out play at home during the All Star game, a famous fight he was involved in and just about everything else you'd remember about his playing career. Marty Brennaman, Tony Perez, Paul O'Neil and Mike Schmidt are among the people interviewed who share their memories of some of the most memorable moments in baseball history. If you're looking for a complete documentary that covers Rose's personal life, ban from baseball and the various "issues" that have came up since he retired from playing then you'll certainly want to skip this because non of that stuff is mentioned. I personally think that's a great thing because most of the stuff dealing with Rose for the past twenty years has all been negative so it's good to find a piece that just looks at the great stuff he did and I think the case about the Hall of Fame is easily made here without having to give a speech or dive into some sort of message. It was really a lot of fun hearing all of these stories from Rose who talks about them with a certainly flair and you can still see that passion in his eyes when he talks about these events. Just look at how upset he gets when discussing the three World Series loses that he suffered as a player. Rose really comes across open and good here as he tells these stories and even at two-hours you really wish the film had gone on longer. Baseball buffs, Rose fans or just those getting into sports should really enjoy this thing as it's a fitting tribute to the legend.

This movie is a fabulous movie, if you are a baseball fan. There was no better ambassador of the game of baseball that Peter Edward Rose in the 1970's. He would give interviews to anyone who was there. He would give autographs to anyone that asked nicely. And then came the gambling probe...BUT...the best part of this movie, is it finally tells Pete's story without the off-the-field problems. It tells how Pete played the game, all out, every play. Not only did it go through Pete's life, but it also shows a lot of history for Cincinnati fans as well. It is a well-made, well-told story about the Hit King, the greatest hitter in baseball history....Pete Rose, the way it should be told and remembered!!! P.S. The picture of him running out of the dugout for his first game was worth the price of the DVD...he looked so young, and like he was having so much fun!!