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Title: Concussion (2015)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Will Smith | ... | Dr. Bennet Omalu | |
| Alec Baldwin | ... | Dr. Julian Bailes | |
| Albert Brooks | ... | Dr. Cyril Wecht | |
| Gugu Mbatha-Raw | ... | Prema Mutiso | |
| David Morse | ... | Mike Webster | |
| Arliss Howard | ... | Dr. Joseph Maroon | |
| Mike O'Malley | ... | Daniel Sullivan | |
| Eddie Marsan | ... | Dr. Steve DeKosky | |
| Hill Harper | ... | Christopher Jones | |
| Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje | ... | Dave Duerson | |
| Stephen Moyer | ... | Dr. Ron Hamilton | |
| Richard T. Jones | ... | Andre Waters | |
| Paul Reiser | ... | Dr. Elliot Pellman | |
| Luke Wilson | ... | Roger Goodell | |
| Sara Lindsey | ... | Gracie | |
Will Smith stars in Concussion, a dramatic thriller based on the incredible true David vs. Goliath story of American immigrant Dr. Bennet Omalu, the brilliant forensic neuropathologist who made the first discovery of CTE, a football-related brain trauma, in a pro player and fought for the truth to be known. Omalu's emotional quest puts him at dangerous odds with one of the most powerful institutions in the world. Written by Sony Pictures Entertainment
"Why would a man take his own life at the age of 50?" Dr. Bennet Omalu (Will Smith)
For 28% of pro footballers, head problems not just restricted to dizziness are a result of the pounding every week in the NFL. Dr Bennet Omalu, a forensic pathologist, in Concussion, based on a true story, begins in 2002 the outside-of-the-league autopsies that will eventually expose the CTE impairment and other life-threatening results of the professional battering.
As gently and convincingly played by Will Smith, the doctor eventually gets the NFL and world's attention by scientifically exploring the dead bodies of former players. As in the tobacco wars, the corporation, in this case the league, denies any connection, but that stand is bound to deteriorate as devoted scientists and doctors who know the players are forced to admit the causal relationship.
The film is absorbing when it plays like a medical thriller, perhaps like something Michael Crichton would write in non science fiction. When Concussion tries to integrate the more melodramatic elements of Dr. Omalu's life such as his marriage and the couple's miscarriage, the film becomes mired in tears and melancholy, unfitting for a story worth telling about the professional struggle alone.
Concussion's emphasis on the need for public awareness of the probable danger of tackle football is well presented, even though the NFL seems like a Bond villain's empire. Commissioner Paul Tagliabue started The Committee on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury to explore the injuries and left the results with new commissioner, Roger Goodell.
Although settlement for players ensued, the concussions are still around.