कनकशन

'Concussion' is one of those movies that you watch once and never even think about again. It's a film that seems to stand solely on the principle of getting Will Smith an Oscar nomination. Because virtually nothing else in the film even compares to his dedication. Even writer/director Peter Landesman seems to not care about this film as much as Smith does. It's one of those films that you would call "Oscar Bait". A movie that has next to no substance aside from an all star actor acting their tail off. The other "Oscar Bait" film I saw this year was 'Black Mass'. It's unfortunate that this is becoming more and more popular these days. Each time I see one of these films I can't help but feel like we missed out on a superb story. A story that, in a talented directors hands, could be a legitimately good film. But I'm not saying that this film is terrible. It's not. It's more mediocre than anything. Of course the standout here is Will Smith. Again, he seems to be the only person on this entire project that actually cares. He does the very best with the material he has and what results is his best performance for some time. Aside from him, the film harbors a fairly interesting story. A story that should've been put to better use. The fact this film seems to only exist to help Smith snag one of those golden trophies makes this story feel neutered. The lack of dedication and vision makes this miraculous, real life story boring. It fails to bring attention to the dangers of concussions and simultaneously fails to communicate how great this man is. Instead of watching a war between one man and a giant corporation unfold we get endless, blank faced conversations. While we certainly see how much this man did the film fails to show what he had to go through. The film gets off to a hot start explaining how educated Omalu is and how he approaches his craft in an artistic way. We see him discover what repetitive head trauma can do to human beings and suddenly the film becomes an incomprehensible mess. What should've been the best parts of the film turn into mindless nonsense. It has such a hard time deciding what storyline to follow that it just follows them all. This derailing is only made worse by extremely distracting directorial mistakes. The editing in some dialogue scenes is so awkward it's hard not to get thrown from the movie and back into your seat. There are cuts in the middle of sentences so many times that I found my self in awe of how little effort was put into making the film flow. There is literally a scene where, I swear, the camera man feel asleep and they kept the shot in the movie. Will Smith leans forward while he is talking and the camera doesn't move with him. So, we watch his eyes and forehead while he continues to talk, half out of frame until the camera bumbles its way into the correct position. This is one of those movies that knows it doesn't really have to try. It knows that it is only being made as a vessel to propel someone to the award show stage. So, it doesn't try. It's uneven, forced, and poorly directed. The only person who seems to be fully invested is Will Smith. Who gives his best performance in quite some time. To bad it's in a movie that no one will remember within a week.

Sony is the one Hollywood studio that doesn't have a mult-billion dollar contract with the NFL. This left some hope for the movie about a story the media, as business partners of the NFL, has refused to properly delve into, but there were frustrating signs all along that this wasn't going to be a serious movie about a very serious subject, and the results like the disease are upsetting. They called the movie Concussion. A ridiculous title, but not something so harmful in and of itself. It is that its ignorant, not just that it sounds stupid. Fitting with the current cover-up tactics by the NFL and media, it makes it appear as if concussions are the issue. The truth is that the real science the movie skims over, in its focus on easy dramatization, shows that it is repetitive head trauma that is the true cause. The league and media don't want you to know about this because it means that the sport itself is fundamentally the problem. They want you to think that they can reduce big hits and everything will be solved. The media has been extremely important in pushing this lie. The movie from the unattached studio covers the previous lie that CTE doesn't exist, but it fits in with the current false narrative. It is a great disappointment. Sony wants to tell you the current story being told by cable news and click-bait print journalism. Concussion even had Peter King, a complete lapdog of the NFL and one of the most notorious liars release their trailer for them. Sony didn't want to make a movie about CTE, and they didn't want to tell the truth. They wanted to take advantage of a trending story, and a movie star's popularity. Concussion revolves around Will Smith's portrayal, rather than diving into a deeply interesting reality. The acting from him and the rest of the cast is pretty good, but they only have surface characters to deal with. It's all gloss without strong material. Upon reflection, it makes you nauseous.

Will Smith delivers an Oscar worthy performance as crusading pathologist Dr. Dr. Bennet Omalu in "Parkland" writer & director Peter Landesman's "Concussion," a mediocre but true-life medical expose about the perils of playing professional football. Although the timely subject matter about brain-damaged NFL players is definitely the stuff of which concussions are made, the straightforward saga lacks the devastating impact of its message. When you consider what the NFL has gotten away with in its greed, you'd think "Concussion" would have conjured up more clout. Little of what happens in "Concussion" is remotely compelling. Occasionally, "Concussion" conjures up suspense. Were it not for Smith's subdued presence, this anti-pigskin parade would never played movie theaters and quietly have passed away on home video. Landesman surrounds Smith with an impeccable cast, including Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks, David Morse, Richard T. Jones, Eddie Marsan, and Arliss Howard. Landesman did a good job with his JFK thriller "Parkland," but he drops the ball completely here.

There has been quite a spate of movies recently boasting of being based on events that really took place. Up comes the sentence during the opening credits: 'Based on a true story.' Spotlight, Black Mass, The Big Short, Suffragette...Just when you think the movie is over, writing appears (usually white on a black background) telling the audience what happened to the characters or the next stages in the historical events depicted. Drives me crazy. If it matters so much that there's a need to tell you what happened next, it should be in the movie. If it doesn't matter, there's no need to tell us about it. Concussion follows this trend. But that's far from the only problem with it. It's a pedestrian piece that doesn't do anything like justice to its fascinating and important story. In spite of the best efforts of Will Smith and the authoritative presence of the ever-welcome Albert Brooks, the result is feeble. The movie attempts standard Hollywood emotional manipulation but it fails even in this, due in the main to poor pacing and inept shaping of the screenplay. Someone, someday, might make a very good movie about the way the NFL concealed vital information about the dangers to its players of head injuries. I certainly hope this flaccid attempt is not going to be the last word on the subject.

Concussion has to be the worst edited film I've ever seen. In the first scene, Will Smith's lines of dialogue cut awkwardly across each other just as the camera inexplicably jumps from different angles. Much of the story is very hard to follow, such as showing the death of one NFL player and then discussing another, not approaching the on-screen death until about 20 minutes later. The death of Mike Webster is very confusing, as it shows him tasering himself (which Webster used as his only method of achieving sleep) and then cuts to his body on the operating table, implying heavily that the taser caused his death and contradicting the entire movie. Not to mention that the 2 hour movie feels more like 3, courtesy of sluggish pacing and unnecessary scenes. The story would have been better off having Omalu and his wife already married at the start, allowing for almost 10 minutes to cut footage right there. Will Smith is the only reason to watch this movie. His accept is a large part of why he is able to disappear into Bennet Omalu, because you will watch him on screen and yet not see the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Sometimes you want to just say "yes Will, good acting, well done" such as an overdone scene where he smashes the wall and rocks back and forth like a child. Surprisingly, it is the subtle nuances that make Smith's performances, and its the wannabe Oscar scenes that leave a foul taste. In the supporting cast, Albert Brooks and Alec Baldwin cancel each other out as they both clamour for screen time. Were one to lose, it should have been Brooks who comes across as a very inconsistent character and contributes very little. Alec Baldwin has a few nice moments but nothing to stand out, as does the infinitely under-appreciated Adewale Akkinouye-Agbaje. David Morse is the one who really stands out in his few scenes as Mike Webster. Mike O'Malley's caricature Daniel exists only to fluff up conflict and comes across as the embodiment of evil rather than having any legitimate protest. There's nothing subtle about the way the story is seeking to be shut down. Peter Landesman scripted Kill the Messenger, and it should never have surprised me that he's using so many of the same elements here. FBI agents show up, ostensibly in cahoots with the NFL (which never happened in real life). The main character's wife is stalked. They dig up dirt on main characters to discredit them. And then there's the final redemption, involving a speech to a quiet audience. He did them better in Kill the Messenger, whereas here (especially because they are largely fictitious) they come across as silly. Concussion tells an interesting story, but there's nothing gripping about it. Put it on in the background, but don't rush out to see it.

Will Smith's character hasn't a REMOTE semblance to Mr. Smith's usual tongue-in-cheek, Fresh Prince. His concentration never waivers in sadness or a smile, in serious discussion or anger. There's a term that's used on stage called "breaking character". You won't see THAT in this film. The subject matter brings a sad commentary to light. Too often sick or injured people are regarded by those of authority as people who are strictly bad "actors" whose behavior is deliberate, and under their control. The saddest thing that this movie presents is that Doctors, who should be more aware and first to alarm, often are the "authorities" that perpetuate the fallacy. KUDOS to Will Smith and the rest of the cast for presenting a film that not merely entertains, but presents the subject with the seriousness it deserves and a sledge hammer to the heart.

I have to be honest. I haven't been a huge fan of Will Smith the actor. He always seems to be doing not much more than playing himself in his roles. Even in The Pursuit of Happiness it was hard for me to forget that the character I was watching was Will Smith instead of who it was suppose to be. This works well for him when he's doing comedy or action such as Men in Black or Bad Boys, but not so much when he's taking on something dramatic that requires a transformation into an actual role. (To be fair, I can't seem to remember ever watching Ali and I suppose I should do that.) Finally, though, after 25 years of trying, he's done it for me with Concussion. He truly captures the role of a Nigerian brain specialists and I almost immediately forget that he's Will Smith and I relate instead to the character he's playing. And he pulls it off with such grace that I do believe he deserves at least his third nomination for best actor if not the award itself. As for the film, I liked it a lot. The first half plays like a very taught thriller and had me on the edge of my seat. The second half gets a bit too melodramatic for my taste but not so much that I started squirming (well, maybe just a little). I think if the second half was given a bit more editing, speeding it up, this could have been a ten star film but eight stars, which is what I give it, isn't anything to shake a stick at either. So there you have it--my take on Concussion.