“Concussion” is a Must-See, but Will Shock You
The long awaited “Concussion” film was released on Christmas Day. NFL fans will be amazed at how the league has tried to prevent this issue from coming to light. Regardless, however, the movie is a must see for any fan.
For anyone who missed it, the movie “Concussion” was released, starring Will Smith as Dr. Bennet Omalu, the doctor that discovered the link between repeated head injuries in football and brain damage, what we now know to be called “CTE”. It follows the timeline of the discovery via the body of Mike Webster, and through the suicide of Dave Duerson, which make the NFL finally take notice.
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I have had a love of this game for 30 years, and nothing about this movie changed that. The NFL will never stop being special to me, as well as most everyone reading this post. However, you all must go see this movie. It is compelling, and it will shock you. The way the league handled this issue will shock you.
It’s a must-see. Any football fan will love it.
First of all, Will Smith was terrific. He was totally believable as a doctor from Nigeria, and was able to portray the struggles that Omalu went through, trying to get his message through the corporate machine known as the NFL. The league has been most concerned with its image, specifically, its shield. The NFL has shown no prior interest in looking after its retired players, the ones that created the history that the league enjoys. Information that proves that the game itself is dangerous? The league has no interest in hearing that.
The movie goes in-depth to explain the lengths the NFL went to keep this information under wraps. But Dr. Omalu wouldn’t stop. He wouldn’t stop until the NFL goliath would listen. Watching this movie will clue the world in to the passion that this man had. He had no ties, or even knowledge, of the sport, as evidenced in a funny scene where he uses a whiteboard to attempt to diagram a play. All he cared about are the lives of these players, and he would stop at nothing until the NFL noticed. And notice they did.
Kudos to Will Smith for some brilliant work here.
Incidentally, Luke Wilson was cast in the role of commissioner Roger Goodell. Now, he looked nothing like him, but he mastered the art of the Goodell double talk. Watch the movie and you will see what I mean.
The other highlight was Alec Baldwin, in the role of Dr. Julian Bales. Bales was the Steelers’ team doctor during Mike Webster’s playing days, making him the guy responsible for getting Webster back on the field as quickly as possible. That was the story then. The team doctors were just as much tied to the team as they were the health of the player, so if the players felt they could go back in, they went in. If there was a medicine, or a shot, that would make them well enough, they went it.
Which became the problem that we have today.
Baldwin is able to portray the unique struggle of this doctor, formally with the NFL, has with the information. He appreciates the beauty of the sport, while acknowledging the science that Dr. Omalu has discovered. When he was working, it was all about the game, but now, he wants to save the players, but it’s difficult.
Can’t we all relate to that struggle? Look at yourselves, and think about how you have reacted to the concussion issue. We all want the players to be safer, do we not? Of course we do, we are human. But when we watch the game, we all still get wide-eyed and say “wow” when we see a big hit. I do it. Don’t you? It’s human nature. The game, and the facts that we have, cause a conflict within all of us, and none bigger than Dr. Bailes.
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You will be impressed, moved, and shocked by this movie. But if you love the NFL, you must see it.