Concussion

Director Peter Landesman, who also helmed last year’s political thriller "Kill the Messenger", doesn’t color much outside the lines of conventional drama. But his straightforward telling actually serves the strong cast and taut script — and a story that would be deemed too outrageous to believe if it wasn’t true.

Writer-director Peter Landesman has a fascinating and appalling story to tell here, and that cuts through the layers of corniness.

As Omalu, Smith gives an emotional performance, bolstered by capable supporting players. Albert Brooks is especially good as Omalu’s wry boss and chief advocate, Cyril Wecht, lightening the film’s otherwise gloomy mood.

Smith’s performance, in which he resists the urge to go over the top, and the subject matter make Concussion an interesting movie, but not the urgent one it could have been.

It’s the very definition of a film with its heart in the right place. And also a prime example of how good intentions don’t automatically make great movies.

A lack of pace and illuminating insight are what keep Concussion from lasting resonance, its flaws threatening to dull the issue for drama in a way that the NFL could only appreciate.

Concussion tries to “tell the truth!” but its filmmaker feels compelled to surround the truth with tales of a man whose life is just not that interesting.

Very engrossing movie. Shows how business, the NFL in this case, can manipulate to protect their own interests to the detriment of others. Will Smith did an amazing job.

It could have become a more Existing Movie by focusing more on NFL Crisis Management for Example, instead they added these unnecessary Romantic Sequences that deviate away from the Core Story.

Will Smith was good in this film and he created an interesting character. His doctor Omalu was not just a silly accent, as some have called him, but a many layered character with whom you could empathise in his struggles. And I also liked David Morse in his small part but Concussion's biggest problem is that it's really not a people story. It's more concerned about the events and and the people serve more as accessories to them. Also they clearly didn't want to alienate football fans by making this a „football = bad" movie. But how they went about doing this was by having the various characters give „football is great" speeches and it all comes out as lots of tell and little show. If what they wanted to do was show why it matters to so many people they should have made the audiences feel what a majestic game it is. But they don't and the film becomes a boring fence sitter. The best part about Concussion's story is its good themes about religion. Through out the film it talks about how sport has taken the church's place in the modern world and just how inadequate it is in that role. There are some smart things in this story but they are never fully realised. Overall Concussion is a decent film but more fitting for the small screen.

Action star Will Smith has explored noble characters before (The Pursuit of Happyness) and you can feel him striving for awards this time. He plays a gifted doctor from Africa who, while working in the US as a forensic neuropathologist, discovers the syndrome that causes NFL players catastrophic trauma. Even though you know this from the title, the script rehashes the basic plot points over and over. It’s full of honorable intention, but the pedestrian writing, plodding direction and unwavering slow pace make it a frustrating bore. Smith’s earnest portrayal stretches his acting (thanks also to some prosthetics), but his one-note range can’t pull this film out of the tedious simplicity of its monotonous message.

Decided to give this a watch after all the Oscars boycott talk. Absolutely dreadful film, no one involved in this train wreck should work again let alone be talking about the Oscars. The NFL concussion issue could be an excellent movie if it stuck to the facts. Instead we got a Will Smith vehicle that does not work as either an entertaining movie or a factual piece. I'll be carrying out my own boycott in future.