Netflix top 10 movie 23 Blast is based on a heartbreaking true story

While you may be tuning into 23 Blast after it hit the Netflix top 10 movies chart, you may not know that it’s based on a heartbreaking yet inspirational true story. 

Directed by Dylan Baker, the 2014 sports movie centers on Travis Freeman (Mark Hapka), a high school footballer who loses his eyesight due to a sudden bacterial infection. 

Despite the life-altering condition, Travis, with the support of his friends, family, coach (Stephen Lang), and faith, is able to overcome the challenges and return to the football field. 

It’s an inspirational tale, which is now resonating with Netflix fans after landing on the streaming service – and the plot of 23 Blast is inspired by a real-life case. 

The true story of Travis Freeman

Travis Freeman was a promising high school football player in Corbin, Kentucky, when, in 1993, he was suddenly struck with Cavernous Sinus Thrombosis, an extremely rare but extremely deadly form of sinus infection.

This severe condition led to the destruction of his optic nerves, leaving him permanently blind at the age of 12. 

Speaking to Fifteen Minutes With ahead of the release of 23 Blast, Travis explained that in the runup to this, he had been suffering from migraines. Doctors told him it would go away on its own, and on the tenth day, it did – except now his left eye was hurting. 

“I woke up that Saturday, July 3, and the eye was still hurting, and the swelling was worse.  That’s when I went back to the eye doctor and he looked behind my eye, and that’s when he saw the infection,” he said.   

“They rushed me to the University of Kentucky hospital, admitted me into the ER, and began running all kinds of different tests.  My temperature spiked at that point, and my head continued to swell.”

After determining he had Cavernous Sinus Thrombosis, doctors told him “that 70% of the people who have what I had die, and of the 30% that survive, only a very small percentage have normal brain activity afterward.

“I was only the second case in the world where the infection only affected the eye. So in less than 48 hours, I went from perfect 20/20 vision to no vision at all.”

Although Travis initially didn’t want to see his friends, his pal Jerry Baker – played by Bram Hoover in 23 Blast – came over to his house and convinced him that his peers would still accept him. 

Sadly, when they got into high school, Jerry took a different path in life, getting wrapped up in drugs and alcohol and dying due to complications from a roofing accident. “So it’s really a story of two friends and how they deal with tragedy and adversity differently,” added Travis. 

Coach Farris was also instrumental in Travis’ journey to fulfill his dreams, coming up with a strategy to allow him back on the pitch. “So, in August of 1994, I stepped onto a football field as America’s first blind football player,” he continued. 

As for what he wants viewers to take from the film, Travis told the outlet, “I want people to be inspired to overcome the obstacles that they face in their lives. I want them to understand that disability doesn’t equal inability. 

“We all have disabilities and obstacles in our lives that we have to overcome, but those obstacles are not insurmountable mountains. I just want people to be encouraged and inspired, and to realize that whatever their circumstances, they don’t have to be defined by them.”

23 Blast enjoys a new life on Netflix

After landing on the streaming service in August 2024, 23 Blast has reached number 10 in the Netflix movies charts. You can see the full list as it currently stands below: 

• Incoming
• Untold: Sign Stealer
• Migration
• The Union
• Untold: The Murder of Air McNair
• Logan Lucky
• The Emoji Movie
• Trolls Band Together
• The Super Mario Bros. Movie
• 23 Blast

This is quite the feat, given the movie made just under $550,000 against an estimated $1 million budget when it first landed in cinemas in 2014. The critical reception wasn’t much better, receiving just 36% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer. 

In its two-star review, The Guardian said, “23 Blast feels as though it is written for an audience of hard-of-hearing senior citizens who don’t much care for all these loud, dirty movies you see nowadays. A football field is rectangular, but this movie’s is hopelessly square.”

Elsewhere, Variety wrote, “This Heartland Film Festival winner should rack up points with the churchgoing crowd on its October 24 release, but likely won’t cross into a wider field of play.” While the Los Angeles Times said it’s mostly “by-the-numbers inspirational trudgework.”

However, as we’ve seen time and again, just because a movie flopped on its initial release doesn’t mean it won’t go down well with the streaming community – especially when it comes to Netflix. 

Taking to X/Twitter, one new fan wrote, “Just watched #23Blast on Netflix. More of this, please. What a great story.”

“I just watched a great movie on Netflix called 23 Blast that might be something we should all watch,” said another, while a third added, “For anybody who hasn’t seen it, go watch the movie 23 Blast, amazing football movie.”

If it’s new content you’re after, be sure to check out the TV shows heading to streaming this month, as well as the new movies to add to your watchlist.