The Assault

Are prized players in a football town above the law?

A cheerleader at a high school in Eastern America reports that she was raped while partying with some football players at the school. Was it a case of kids just being kids while drinking or was a crime committed? And, if so, can it be proven?

"The Assault” (2014) is a Lifetime production inspired by The Steubenville High School rape of 2012 by the Ohio River in eastern Ohio. It mixes "Are You in the House Alone?" (1978) with the theme of football players taking advantage of cheerleaders observed in "The Swinging Cheerleaders" (1974), which is a worthwhile ‘B’ flick despite the exploitive title.

The milieu is the same as “The Rage: Carrie 2” (1999), just minus the telekinesis. The horror here is more mundane, which makes it more horrifying in a way. Remember, this was based on a real-life story.

The ‘Stockman’ sequence needed the kinks worked out and there are some contrivances, which compels me to detract points. But, otherwise, this is a well-done high school drama on a TV budget.

The film runs 1 hour, 33 minutes, and was shot in Worcester, Massachusetts, which is a half-hour drive west of Boston. The school is actually Clinton High School in Clinton, which is 10 miles NE of Worcester. There are several nice aerial shots of the area.

GRADE: B-/C+