Concussion

There are plenty of hip hop artists who both became actors, or ended up in movie soundtracks, during the early 90´s. I would guess that many of you have seen the classics Boyz N The Hood, and Menace 2 Society. There are plenty of films we could discuss, where hip hop artists got their chance to make their way into Hollywood, but let´s talk about one man who did made an impact. Will Smith, one part of the famous duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, became a world famous personality through his music. They sold out concerts, and were very popular on charts worldwide, especially in America. Since Will Smith´s popularity grew, he got his own comedy show called The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air. The show was very popular, and everyone was enjoying this young comedian for his own style, and his way to make ordinary day situations very funny. Will finally got to be in his first feature film called Made In America, starring Whoppi Goldberg and Ted Danson. The film was no success, but Will kept on working until he finally got his big chance of a lead role. In 1995, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence made one of the big box office hits with Bad Boys, an action comedy by director Michael Bay, became a smash hit worldwide. Will Smith continued to bring box office hits with Independence Day, Men In Black and many others. I personally feel that Will Smith have become a better actor within the last 12 years, when he choose a different type of genre. One good example of that, was his film The Pursuit Of Happyness, based on the true story of American entrepreneur Chris Gardner, who became a homeless man with his son, but managed to find a way out through the hard times. This film was also a big box office hit like many of Will Smith films, but actually one of his better releases. I suggest you rent if, if you have not seen it. Just a year later, i think most of you have seen I Am Legend, where Will Smith did an interesting portrait of a man who lost everything, and is one of the only survivors from a genetically re-engineered measles virus. I know that some critics were negative, because we have seen this type of film before, but i personally feel that I Am Legend had a different view on this genre. The only negative i have to say about this film is the special effects on the " Darkseekers " Now, i will be honest and say that after i watched After Earth, i was worried that Will Smith would not deliver in a long time. I have either seen Winter´s Tale or Focus, for no particular reason at all. I might get the time to see both of them at some point, but i became curious in his new film Concussion. Mostly because it is based on the true story of Dr. Bennet Omalu, who discovered what was wrong with NFL players, after several of them killed themselves, and NFL would not take the responsibility. Is this finally a film where we see Will Smith back on his solid acting level, or is this one of his releases that no one will notice ?

In the year 2002, former Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster ( David Morse ) is found dead in his pick up truck. Before his death, he visited Dr. Julian Bailes ( Alec Baldwin ), telling him that something is wrong with him. Unfortunately, no one knew what was wrong with him. The body of Mike is sent to Dr. Bennet Omalu ( Will Smith ), a forensic pathologist, who examine Mike´s body. He notice something while looking at his brain. Dr. Bennet is determined that Mike had an severe brain damage, most likely caused by all the head injuries while playing american football. Bennet knows what caused Mike´s death, it is because of long-term effects of repeated blows to the head, a disorder he calls chronic traumatic encephalopathy ( CET ). Bennet meet Julian, neurologist Steven T. DeKosky ( Eddie Marsan ), and county coroner Dr. Cyril Wecht ( Albert Brooks ). They all agree that Dr. Bennet is correct, and he publish his finidings on paper, something that NFL dismisses. When more football players, are found taking their own lives, and seem to have had the same disorder as Mike, Dr Bennet realise that the truth must come out. NFL will not let their reputation be destroyed by a doctor, so they will do anything to make Bennet look like a fool. But if the truth comes out, can NFL hide the facts of what really happened ?

For those who know me personally, know that i do not watch all kinds of sport. In fact, the only sport i watch on some occations are hockey, football and boxing. I don´t know if German Housewives are included in this genre, but let me tell you, those german moms bring on the action. Concussion is both sport drama, and a medical drama, based on a true story that happened back in 2009. You may have read earlier what the film is about, so i don´t need to go into details. Since i have not followed the events around this true story, when it happened, i can only assume that this film tries to tell one version of what happened. When i sat down to watch Concussion, i had barely read anything about the film, because not many newspapers in Sweden have written anything about it. And in some ways, i am glad that i had no idea what to expect. This is a really well made film, and most of all, Concussion is a film that delivers acting on a high level. Just the first minutes with David Morse as Mike Webster, as he shows how bad he is in health condition, is absolutely splendid. Alec Baldwin is also really good as Dr. Julian Bailes, he feels very natural in his character. Most of all we have Will Smith in the lead role, as Dr. Bennet Omalu, who discovered why the NFL players were going insane. He takes his role seriously, and deliver one of his best performances in a long time. Knowing that this scandal actually happened, and people lost their lives, as NFL refused to listen to Dr. Bennet, feels horrible. If these men were heard, and could have been helped, things might have looked different today. The strength of Concussion is the characters, while the plot is builded around them. I know that some critics felt that the plot should have been stronger in this film, but for mer personally, i want strong characters more than a strong plot. If you don´t have strong characters, the plot will not matter eventually. And in a film like Concussion, based on the discovery of Dr. Bennet Omalu, director Peter Landesman manage to bring his view on this case of NFL. I would say that this is the best film that director Peter Landesman have directed so far, his first directorial debut film was Parkland in 2013. From a medical perspective, i personally feel that this is where Concussion delivers very powerful, because when you work in health care, you know that the patients always deserve respect. What a great beginning of this year, Concussion is both very well made, and include really good acting. I suggest you run down to the cinema, there are many important issues here to be told.

Rating: DDDD