Will Smith Delivers in Concussion

Rating: 8/10 (2 April 2016)

Mike Webster was a center for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Kansas City Chiefs from 1974 to 1990. Nicknamed "Iron Mike", some say Webster is the best center in NFL history. He died at the age of 50 and was the first NFL player to be diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease caused by multiple concussions. Concussion focuses on Nigerian pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu (Will Smith) who first diagnosed Webster (David Morse) and embarked on a study of other NFL players. The results of his findings put him at odds with the NFL and some of his fellow doctors as his efforts to bring light to the problem are met with stiff competition to keep him quiet. Omalu, under the supervision of Dr. Cyril Wecht (Albert Brooks), believed the NFL would be pleased to hear of his discovery so they could prevent it from happening any more. Wecht believed Omalu would ultimately become an American hero. Instead, he was met with opposition from the NFL, from fellow doctors, and even received death threats against himself and his family, forcing Omalu to make the impossible decision to continue pressing for his findings to become public knowledge or to retreat for his safety and the safety of those he loves. Webster's death was officially reported as being due to heart failure. Omalu commented that "cardiac arrest may be how he died, but not why". More players died, but the NFL continued to silence and shun Omalu until 2009 when Cincinnati Bengals' wide receiver Chris Henry was diagnosed with CTE after his death at the age of 26. Omalu had moved to California with his wife and started a family. He was invited to speak at an NFL convention dealing with head injuries and offered a prominent position at Washington, D.C. Players began to sue the NFL for concealing Omalu's findings. The cases were settled with the condition that what the NFL knew and when would not be revealed. Movies like Concussion are tough. It's based on a true story, but without significant digging, it's hard to know how much of the movie is true and how much has been embellished or changed to make it more of a movie-going draw. The all-star cast would indicate that enough of Hollywood's big hitters felt this was a good enough story to tell. It's a story that has the NFL vigorously figuring out new equipment, new training methods, new treatment and new rules to help prevent CTE from continuing to take lives. I predicted 3.5 stars, thinking it would be a movie I'd enjoy, hopefully be able to discern between fact and fiction, and may or may not make it to my home collection.
I thought Will Smith gave a wonderfully honest and subtle performance as Dr. Omalu. The movie is nearly two hours long, but I could have used a little more. There is a scene where Omalu proposes to his girlfriend at a plot of land he has already purchased for the both of them. Later, after being threatened by the FBI, they leave the home to move to California and he is completely broken up about it. I would like to have seen some more of their relationship develop and their investment into the house to support the heartbreak a little more. I felt the explanations of what was going on in the brains of the NFL players was very effectively addressed so that anyone would understand. I bumped up my star rating to 4.0 stars as this was well worth the money to watch it and has a decent chance of making it to my home collection.