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With all of the recent controversy surrounding the Oscars and the supposed lack of ‘racial diversity’ among the nominees for the main acting awards, Concussion piqued my interest more than it usually would have.
Considering Will Smith’s omission for his role as Dr Bennet Omalu caused particular outcry in the days following the announcement, I felt inclined as a critic to judge his performance by myself.
Admittedly, Smith puts in a great shift here, but unfortunately this doesn’t transcribe to the rest of the film as a whole. It’s watchable and contains a few genuine emotional highs, but ultimately feels underwhelming.
Based on a true story, Omalu is a Nigerian forensic pathologist whose research into concussions suffered by American Football players changed the way the sport treated the issue.
It doesn’t start out that way, though, as Omalu’s discovery of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in the wake of a string of famous players’ deaths is dismissed by the National Football League (NFL).
The film chronicles his struggles as he desperately tries to get his research to be taken seriously in the face of strong opposition from the NFL who try to discredit him and brush his findings under the carpet at every turn.
The main issue with the story is that writer and director Peter Landesman is too scared to fully crystallise the NFL as the antagonists of the piece. He treats the sport too reverentially, and as the governing body, they receive respect throughout seemingly just for running such a popular national institution. It would be much easier to will Omalu to succeed and back his cause if he was up against the stereotypical ‘evil corporation’.
There are numerous other issues too. Structurally, the main focus is obviously on Omalu and his campaign, but there’s a completely unnecessary romantic subplot featuring his love interest Prema (Mbatha-Raw) that’s as generic as they come. Too much time is wasted on this non-entity of a character, whose sole purpose is to reinforce Omalu’s determination, while the occasional lover’s tiff is simply swatted away with a declaration of devotion.
Numerous pacing problems persist too, as months and years fly by with no context given to the characters’ actions. In the space of a few short scenes, Omalu and Prema are sharing their first dance, then he’s proposing, and then she’s on the brink of childbirth. All in a sudden rush with no obvious indication of time elapsing.
It’s lucky, then, that Smith turns in one of his best performances in many a year. The furore is understandable, as he probably did deserve an Academy Award nomination. Numerous times, Omalu presents his evidence to various neurosurgeons and experts, and each time he does, Smith’s delivery becomes more and more impassioned and compelling.
When he’s in full flow, the movie is outstanding, and the culminating clash with the NFL is a must-watch scene. It’s just a shame that the central drama is too often waylaid for extraneous scenes just as it starts to grip you.
Ultimately, it’s hard to judge Concussion solely as a film thanks to the controversy surrounding Smith’s snub. Even trying to review it objectively, I found myself subconsciously drawn to his every word and mannerism, analysing his performance.
He does anchor the film incredibly well and Omalu is a very relatable character who we want to succeed. However, as a movie, there have been many more biographical sports dramas that have been much more thrilling and engaging than this. It gets bogged down in pointless subplots and feels underwhelming thanks to its poor pacing.
If you’re a fan of Smith, then I’d recommend seeing this film. His performance will linger in the memory, even if the rest won’t.
Showing at Cineco, Seef II, Saar, Al Jazira, Novo Cinemas, Dana Cineplex
Rating: 3/5
