Review: Concussion

It is not often we see Will Smith in a dramatic role. Usually known for his upbeat and comedic roles, Smith has also done some nice dramatic roles in films such as The Pursuit Of Happyness, I Am Legend and Seven Pounds.

In this one, it is based on the true story of an accomplished doctor uncovering the truth on the seriousness on brain damage of the full contact sport, American Football. We see it mentioned in many other sports nowadays. Well, this is the story of how it became the norm now to make sure all the players avoid concussion.

This is definitely a courageous and ballsy move for the film-makers to make this and release it so soon after the incidents.
Will Smith is the star of the show. Any debate over his talent would easily be disregarded after watching this. He is believable throughout, the accent he gives felt legit and you do forget it is Smith on screen as he sinks himself into the character really well. His introduction eased us into the character and I felt at ease every time he was on screen.

As for the rest of the movie, the pacing is solid and slowly amplifies the tension well. However, I felt a lack of detail stopped this from being a terrific drama. But I think to appeal to a mainstream as they know Smith is a big attraction, they probably had to do it like they did.

The solid supportive roles of Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Albert Brooks and Alec Baldwin are definitely worth mentioning. Baldwin was the particular stand-out with several scene-stealing scenes in the second half of the film. This is probably his best performance since Seven Pounds or I Am Legend.

Despite the story not hitting me as hard as it probably should, I was enjoying this. It was great seeing Smith be great again.
I think the main reason of the story not hitting me hard is mainly due to what I already know about this story as I am an NFL fan. But also the pacing of the film did not make this a tense ride of worldwide organisation having cover-ups.
The structure of the film felt too formulaic. It is like reading a Wikipedia page. So I guess this is a bit of a negative as it is predictable. I know it is tough for biopics to give us something different whilst telling a true story.

But I will still recommend it as there is a lot to like about this. It tells an interesting story that is topical in today's society and other sports have followed suit by making sure their players are thoroughly looked after. Go to a screening for that and the great performances lead by a Will Smith that is returning to form.

Rating: 7/10