Movie Review-Concussion



Concussion is not just a football movie. Football and the NFL is at the root of the story, but the movie is about the triumph of one man to inform the world about a hazard, that until recently, was not known to the general public nor to men in the NFL who strapped on a helmet. In Concussion Will Smith is Dr. Bennet Omaulu, a Nigerian pathologist who works for the Pittsburgh coroners office.  

When Steeler Hall of Fame center, Mike Webster, ends up in the morgue Dr. Omaulu sets off a firestorm in the NFL with the findings that he discovers killed the former All-Pro center.

He discovers a condition, which he names Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CET). Its a condition that cannot be detected by a CAT scan. Only after a players death can it be identified by an autopsy. The condition is caused by the lifetime of head to head collisions received by players in the NFL. In the movie Dr. Omaulu describes the blunt force to the head as a force that is equal to a sledge hammer blow to the helmet. It is a report that the NFL immediately goes to work on to discredit. First they try to discredit the doctor as a quack and a "witch doctor" but when big name NFL players like Andre Waters and Dave Duerson, continue to die by committing suicide, it is a report that the NFL eventually has to acknowledge.

Smith is amazing as pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu, He plays the role with a quiet grace and inner strength that reminded me of a classic Sidney Poitier performance. Gugu-Mbatha-Raw, the English actress who played Belle in the movie of the same name, plays Smith's love interest in the movie. She's a woman of few words but the words that she does speak are always words of kindness and encouragement. On screen the two actors have great chemistry.

Albert Brooks plays Dr. Omaulu's supervisor at the Pittsburgh coroner's office, Dr. Cyril Wecht and Alec Baldwin is Dr. Julian Bailes. He's a former NFL team doctor and he enlists with Dr. Omaulu based on the strength of the doctor's medical findings. The entire cast gives a great performance in this Oscar worthy film.

Concussion has a run time of just over two hours and it is rated PG-13 for some disturbing images and harsh language. On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" I give Concussion my highest rating, a JUMBO with extra butter.

Hollywood Hernandez