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‘The Way Back’ director Gavin O’Connor explains how ‘verisimilitude is everything’ when making a legit MMA movie

Director Gavin O’Connor had to deal with a lot more than just basketball when making his latest film “The Way Back,” which stars Oscar winner Ben Affleck in the lead role.

The movie centers on a former high school basketball star struggling with alcoholism, who is given a second chance when he’s asked to coach the team at his former alma mater. While “The Way Back” spends a lot of time on the basketball court, O’Connor says he never intended for it to be viewed as purely a sports movie.

“I never really thought of the movie as a film about basketball,” O’Connor explained when speaking to MMA Fighting.