Concussion ★★★ Directed by Peter Landesman.
Dr. Bennet Omalu (Will Smith), a neuorsurgeon, becomes interested in the case of former NFL football player Mike Webster (David Morse), whose death he eventually links to brain damage during years of game play. In order to prove his findings, he must show that several other players suffered the same damage, leading to an Alzheimer's-like deterioration of mental function. Despite heavy resistance from the football league, Omalu finds an ally in Dr. Julian Bailes (Alec Baldwin), a man whose loyalty to the game is overcome by his concern for the players. With the help of Bailes, as well as forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht (Albert Brooks), Omalu gains the confidence to use his own resources to continue his research and get the truth out.
This is the exact type of story that we would have seen years ago on the NBC Movie of the Week, and might have played well on HBO or Showtime today. It's an interesting movie, reasonably well told, but it isn't cinematic in any real way. However, it does have a good cast. At it's heart is Will Smith's strong performance to recommend it. He is completely convincing as the Nigerian-born doctor who is brilliant but socially awkward. It is further proof that Smith has come a long way from his "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" days.
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