Synopsis

Jake Huard, the son of a shipyard worker, earns an unexpected place at the U.S. Naval Academy after repeatedly pressing his congressman for a recommendation. Struggling with academics, discipline, and a hostile superior, Jake finds purpose in the academy's boxing tournament. His determination forces him to confront his father's doubts, earn his classmates' respect, and prove he belongs at Annapolis.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film was made without official support from the U.S. Navy or the Department of Defense, and its depiction of academy life was not intended as an accurate representation of Naval Academy training.

• Although the story is set in Annapolis, much of the production took place in Philadelphia, Princeton, and London. The Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich was used to double for the Naval Academy.

• The production moved from Maryland to Pennsylvania after Pennsylvania offered financial incentives for filming. Maryland officials estimated that the move cost the state millions of dollars in expected economic activity.

• The trailer showed exploding battleships, submarines, and fighter jets, but those images do not appear in the finished film.

• The film was released by Touchstone Pictures in January 2006 and became a commercial disappointment, earning substantially less than its reported production budget.