Before Dr Bennet Omalu (Will Smith, Focus) performs an autopsy, he speaks to the body in front of him. To some, his actions seem eccentric, indulgent and unnecessary; to him, he’s simply showing his respect for his patient, as well as for the important task he has been charged with. Discovering not just how but why his patients died is Omalu’s aim, and one that he is diligent in pursuing. That extends to former football hero Mike Webster (David Morse, TV’s Treme), who rests on his table with a history of not only sporting fame, but of post-retirement instability before his passing at the age of 50.
Based on a true tale initially told in a 2009 GQ magazine piece by journalist Jeanne Marie Laskas, then subsequently adapted for the screen by writer/director Peter Landesman (Parkland), Concussion explores Omalu’s attempts to uncover the reason behind Webster’s death. His quest identifies a new form of brain damage, known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy; exposes an epidemic of undiagnosed afflictions in professional NFL players; and earns the wrath of an organisation seemingly more concerned with maintaining its lucrative and crowd-pleasing levels of spectacle than with the welfare of the men taking to the field.
Omalu’s actions commence in a delicate fashion, then progress in an increasingly impassioned manner, with his determination to do the right thing constantly shining through. While the film that chronicles his crusade mirrors the former, it doesn’t always embody the latter. Concussion engrosses the audience in its real-life details, but treads a little too carefully and broadly in doing so, weaving the romantic relationship of its protagonist with his houseguest turned wife Prema Mutiso (Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jupiter Ascending) into the narrative, and overtly emphasising Omalu’s desire to be a good American. Both smack of the movie’s origins as an in-depth article, and would’ve proven intriguing inclusions on the page; here, as the feature stumbles into pseudo-biopic territory, they become interesting distractions.
Landesman’s sprawling approach also thrusts the efforts of his leading man into the spotlight, though Concussion fares much better in its cast than in its storytelling. Smith turns the kind of role that could’ve been a superficial showcase of his serious side into a portrayal much more layered and nuanced. Perfecting a Nigerian accent without emphasising his speaking patterns, and conveying as much in his patient mannerisms and reserved physicality as in his dialogue, he makes Omalu a quietly commanding point of focus. Mbatha-Raw, Alec Baldwin (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation) and Albert Finney (A Most Violent Year) provide ample support among a recognisable line-up that also includes Luke Wilson (The Ridiculous 6), Eddie Marsan (X +Y), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Trumbo) and Paul Reiser (TV’s Red Oaks), but Smith retains the feature and audience’s attention.
That a sombre offering evolves around such a crucial topic and subtle performance is hardly surprising, nor is the workmanlike way in which Landesman pieces his film together. Favouring grey-heavy visuals and a stately pace, Concussion stresses its subject more than any filmmaking artistry. Though emotion is hardly absent in the end product, a sense of restraint lingers beyond the enraging circumstances at the feature’s core. In telling a true tale of clashes in the arena leading to a medical discovery seen as an attack on a football code rather than a wake-up call regarding player welfare and the true cost of sport as entertainment, the feature doesn’t hide the infuriating reality, but somewhat incongruously remains stern but gentle in unravelling the details.
Rating: 3 stars out of 5
Concussion
Director: Peter Landesman
UK | Australia | USA, 2015 123 mins
Release date: February 18
Distributor: Roadshow
Rated: M
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