Review of Concussion (2015) by Quincytheodore — 09 Mar 2016

The serious case of the mind and peril of announcing it.

Will Smith is probably one of the best uncrowned actors without Oscar award on his name. He can portray his role with outstandingly natural conviction, and he does no less as Dr. Bennet Omalu here. This is a biopic about the determined doctor, his discovery of a malady and also uniquely about the popular sport.

Dr. Omalu is a coroner who incidentally comes across a famous football player, sadly after his tragic death. He becomes curious of the cause of death and his research eventually becomes larger than he originally expected. It's a good biography which can be enjoyed for those even without much knowledge about the sport as it translates the procedure in approachable manner.

As the lead Will Smith doesn't disappoint, he presents a variety of emotions with good origin accent. This is a story when the more he tries to help the more resistance he encounters, voiced by a compelling script. Both his personal and private lives are changed by the finding, furthermore the repercussion ripples beyond towards the lives of others.

The movie has a respect towards the sport source and it's careful on presenting the subject without making judgment. It does tend to spread too thinly across the runtime with administrative process. Admittedly this is an integral part, but more time could be spent on the athletes themselves. The tension is built slowly and it's kept better in some instances than the others. Nevertheless, it doesn't take away too much from the sophisticated drama.

"Concussion" is an informative guide to the mind and its plague told by an educated thinker.