​FILMS

concussion

It's not a knockout so 'Concussion' won't leave you with a concussion.

2016 review number 28:

Concussion: (Drama): 67 out of 100: An extremely topical issue in all contact sports is brain trauma which has led many sports to adopt safe practices whenever a competitor is hit on the head. Many sports organisations have now made it compulsory for the sportsperson to leave the field if they are showing any signs of concussion. After repeatedly denying that concussions didn't lead to premature deaths, the NFL backed down on their stance after the efforts of Dr. Bennet Omalu to prove them wrong. This is no major spoiler as it's fact, another movie that has been based on a true story. When the focus is on Omalu probing the cause of death of young retired American footballers the result is riveting, it's less so when it becomes a love story between the doctor from Nigeria and his love interest. 

 

Former Pittsburgh Steelers centre Mike Webster (David Morse) has been found dead in his pick up truck and his autopsy is conducted by Bennet Omalu (Will Smith), a forensic pathologist from Nigeria. He determines that his death has been caused by repeated blows to the head, thus leading him to think irrationally and ultimately harming himself. He calls the disorder chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). With the help of former Steelers team doctor Julian Bailes (Alec Baldwin), fellow neurologist Steven T. DeKosky (Eddie Marsan) and county coroner Cyril Wecht (Albert Brooks), Omalu publishes a paper based on his findings but this is rejected by the NFL, led by the commissar, Roger Goodell (Luke Wilson). While Omalu is attempting to escape ridicule in his professional life, he seeks comfort in the arms of his girlfriend who later becomes his wife, Prema Mutiso (Gugu Mbatha-Raw). Despite insurmountable odds, it is Omalu's desire to prove to the world that his theories and investigations are correct, even putting his family's life in danger. 

 

The sports story is a hard-hitting exposé of the effects that collisions in football can lead to severe brain injuries. The conversations that the main characters have reveal the tension that is evident. You don't have to be a football fan to appreciate the tribulations Omalu faces in trying to make his discoveries known and accepted. Smith garners your attention in these scenes where he is up against the establishment. He is ably supported by Baldwin and they share many scenes of dramatic tension. Brooks also has the chance to exert his acting authority in some choice scenes. 

 

While the sports side of the story is compelling, the love angle which seems to belong to another movie, falls flat. It just seems that the romance between Omalu and Prema was added to attract a wider audience. It enters into soap opera territory when the dialogue becomes too lovey-dovey. All this is not helped by the direction of Peter Landesman, who also wrote the screenplay. This movie has the most close-ups of hand gestures ever seen! Landesman is a fan of the close-up with most scenes using this device in projecting the emotions of the characters. In several scenes, three-quarters of the character's face is on the screen. If you like counting the number of wrinkles on actors' faces, this is the movie for you!

 

If the focus was just on the sports side of the story, we would have a better movie than what we have here. The fault lies in trying to include too much which eventually overdramatises the movie. Still, Concussion provides an interesting insight into the world of sports science and the consequences that participants experience in fulfilling their goals, whether they are players on the field, or doctors and scientists behind the scenes.

 

Starring Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Albert Brooks

(123 mins)

Parental advice: Adult themes

Additional scene during or after credits: No

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNCvaa-RogQ (Movie trailer)

 

(Reviewed on Thursday 18th February, 2016)

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