More than just a game

Concussion
Director: Peter Landesman
Writers: Peter Landesman, Jeanne Marie Laskas (GQ article “Game Brain”)
Stars: Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks
Duration: 123 mins
Class: 12
KRS Releasing Ltd

For almost 100 years, the National Football League (NFL) has been one of the top major sporting leagues in the US, indeed the world. And, for its millions of devotees, it is more than just a game – or a business for its top management and staff. It is a cultural institution, a religion, almost.

So, when the brilliant forensic pathologist Dr Bennet Omalu, a quiet, gentle Nigerian immigrant working in Pittsburgh makes a startling discovery – that severe brain damage was evident in some football players due to the sustained blows they receive on the head during the game, oftentimes leading to an early death – it was clear that he was about to face an uphill battle.

The film draws the audience in from its opening scenes, where Omalu is tasked with performing the autopsy on former football player, Mike Webster, who died aged 50 of a heart attack. What he finds in Webster’s brain, coupled with reports that the player suffered from dementia and depression for years before his death, leads Omalu to his conclusions. Giving the condition a name, CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) and publishing his findings in a respected medical journal, brought on a scornful response from the might of the NFL hierarchy. Yet, the dogged doctor fought on until – and it’s no spoiler to acknowledge – he was taken seriously.

It a fascinating story about an issue brought to light by a single individual that has major repercussions on a gargantuan institution. Films about whistle-blowers and the risks they take have always made for fascinating cinema – The Insider, Michael Mann’s 1999 exposé about the tobacco industry; or 2014’s gripping documentary Citizenfour, about Edward Snowden spring to mind.

Yet, Concussion film lacks the dramatic edge its story deserves, and just as things are about to get interesting, it loses some of its focus. “You have no idea how bad this is going to get,” warns Alec Baldwin’s Dr Julian Bailes, a former football team doctor who aids Omalu in his quest. However, scenes of NFL bigwigs scrambling to smother the story, Omalu receiving a couple of anonymous threatening phone calls at night or a car ominously following his wife Prema Mutiso (Gugu Mbatha-Raw making the best of a thinly-written role) fail to truly illustrate the wrath faced by Omalu and do not effectively illustrate the struggles the he faced to get his voice heard by the gargantuan institution that is the NFL. Nor does it truly underscore the magnitude of the problem itself. Moreover, it is only when some shocking statistics, detailing the extent of the crisis, shoot up on screen at the end that the audience gets the jolt the film couldn’t deliver.

That writer / director Peter Landesman focuses on the exceptional work of the man behind the discovery is to be commended. Yet, the lack of urgency in telling his story dilutes the impact of his work somewhat.

That said, there’s no denying that Concussion is worth checking out, thanks to the performance of its star Will Smith. Despite some solid serious roles in his considerable repertoire, Smith is still somewhat underrated as a dramatic actor. He brings levels of rarely seen depth and nuance to his performance as a man who left his native Nigeria to live the fabled American dream only to discover that dream could be taken away from him simply because he is doing his job; and his bewilderment at the animosity he faces is touching.

Smith easily captures the essence of the man. Intelligence in outlook, gentle of manner and quiet in speech, Omalu approaches his work with great compassion and the almost spiritual reverence with which he treats the bodies on his autopsy table is notable - one of his excellent qualities as a doctor his penchant for ‘speaking’ to them much to the disdain of his colleagues, which he easily ignored.

Eyebrows were raised at the omission of Smith from the Best Actor nominees for the forthcoming Academy Awards, one of the factors in the still-raging #oscarssowhite controversy. At time of writing this, I have not seen all the Oscar-nominated actor performances so am not in a position to opine. What is certain however, is that it is a deeply-felt, unassuming and restrained performance; easily one of Smith’s best.