Concussion (2015)
PG-13
3.5 Stars out of 5
Director Peter LandesmanWriter Peter Landesman (screenplay), Jeanne Marie Laskas (GQ Article)
Cinematography Salvatore Totino
Editing William Goldenberg
Will Smith Dr. Bennet Omalu
Alec Baldwin Dr. Julian Bailes
Albert Brooks Dr. Cyril Wecht
Gugu Mbatha-Raw Prema Mutiso
David Morse “Iron” Mike Webster
Luke Wilson Roger Goodell
Matthew Willig Justin Strzelczyk
“Finishing the game is the same as winning the game.”
Mike Webster
“You think you’re being a good American. The NFL owns a day the
week, the same one once owned by the Church.”
Dr. Wecht to Dr. Omalu
There was an excellent movie in 1999, “The Insider” (from
the always brilliant writer/director Michael Mann). It is in fact one my Top
Ten Movies from the past 25 years. The critics loved it, the public, not so
much. What it did so well and what “Concussion” largely fails to do, is to build
real tension within its story of a major American industry’s efforts to kill
the science being used to discredit the products sold by that industry. The
product in question in “The Insider” was tobacco; pretty clearly a villain to
most Americans in 2016. This was most definitely not the case throughout most
of the 20th century. Mann did not leave his kid gloves on with his
film as he excoriates “Big Tobacco”. The product in question in “Concussion” is
NFL football. And if tobacco products were easily seen as a villain by many
Americans, even before they were proven to be so, this is definitely not the
case with America’s most popular professional sporting event. Writer/director
Peter Landesman knows the popularity of football and the financial reach of the
NFL, and as such his movie (likely with some nudging from corporate parent Sony
Pictures – according to leaked internal memos) does leave his kid gloves on as
he tries to take a somewhat evenhanded approach to the now proven link between
concussions sustained while playing football and high rates of dementia amongst
their retired player veterans.
“Concussion” was inspired by a September 14 2009 GQ article
by Jeanne Marie Laskas, “Bennet Omalu, Concussions and the NFL”.
It is a hard hitting article that pulls no punches. Landesman’s movie discusses
much of what is wrong with how the NFL reacted to Omalu’s report on the effects
of concussions as detailed in the article, but struggles to find a dramatic arc
to the story. The story begins with a moving portrayal by David Morse of
retired Pittsburg Steeler’s center, “Iron” Mike Webster. Webster is giving a
speech following an award ceremony in his honor. Webster reels slightly, he
seems to speak with some difficulty and to stand up straight. There is a sense
that something is amiss, but it is not clear what that something is.
The film then turns to an unrelated trial where we meet Dr.
Bennet Omalu (Will Smith). He is a forensic pathologist in the Allegheny County
Coroner’s office and is at the trial on behalf of the accused. He is faced with
some skepticism from the district attorney about Omalu’s credentials. Omalu
quickly disabuses the DA’s concern over Omalu’s medical credibility via a long
list of medical degrees and fellowships. Was Omalu’s competency questioned due
to his race or thick Nigerian accent? It is not clear, but it is a theme that
will be repeated throughout the movie: people will automatically discount him
from Dr. Omalu to Mr. Omalu, and amongst his medical colleagues, his scientific
acumen will often be discounted from scientist to merely “someone working in
the county coroner’s office”. The movie will take pains to make this point of
barely suppressed racism.
The movie will also in this first scene with Omalu make a
mistake that will carry on throughout the movie with many examples. In this
case, the viewer is teased with the knowledge that Omalu may have brought forth
via his training and genius facts that would reverse the verdict against the
accused, but the viewer will never know. The story is introduced, but dropped
without resolution. The film has many examples of errors that I will loosely
categorize as continuity mistakes. Two more big ones include a loss of a sense
of the passage of time to the viewer, and a very sloppy introduction of minor
actors. That is to say, how much time has passed during the film’s progression,
is it months or years; it is far from clear. And who are the various members in
the NFL cast of characters? We see them grimace and say rude things about Omalu,
but are they minor actors within the NFL or major ones? Again, the viewer will
be very hard pressed to puzzle most of them out.
As the movie progresses, we see Webster’s condition
deteriorate. It is heartbreaking. If the viewer thinks about Webster at 25 or
any of his colleagues, they were among America’s most fit, most athletic
citizens. Then they retire in their 30’s, and by the time they are in their
50’s, they are decrepit or mad or both. To watch how Webster and the others
(the movie will show in minor detail several more) as their mental and physical
conditions worsen, is truly shocking. Has the movie exaggerated these
situations? Google San Diego Charger Junior Seau’s death in 2012 to review a
case that is not in the movie, but is very compelling on the effects of
multiple concussions. You will be persuaded of the danger that awaits many
retired NFL players.
At Webster’s death, Omalu will find a problem he cannot
readily explain. He sees it as his duty to the deceased and their families to
find an explanation. How did someone at 50 go mad when there were no
physiological, anatomical or historical evidence for it? Omalu will with the
support of the coroner, Dr. Cyril Wecht (a somewhat serious Albert Brooks)
begin an investigation that he will pay for with his own money. Wecht will
support him politically, as will a couple more, but for the most part, Omalu
will be running alone a gauntlet to get the investigation done, published, and
most significantly understood by the NFL and American public.
Omalu will find microscopic tears in the neuronal cells of
the Webster’s brain. He will name them Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or CTE;
they cannot be found via medical imaging such CT scans. Omalu will theorize their
origin is related to how the human brain is untethered in the skull, and as
such can move with great force into the interior wall of the skull during a
collision. He will eventually write a peer-reviewed paper with Dr. Wecht and
local Neurologist Guru, Dr. Steve Dekosky. As with others within the medical
world, it was a struggle for Omalu to get Dekosky attention, let alone his
respect. But the data was irrefutable, and the paper written. Part of Omalu’s
argument used to persuade DeKosky was a comparison of various animal species
that can withstand repeated head collisions (e.g. woodpecker or male rams). Omalu
noted that a concussion can occur at 60G’s and that a typical head to head
football collision is roughly 100G’s. He concluded with his calculations that
Webster had suffered some 70,000 such collisions from the time he started as a
child player to his last day as a Pro player.
These arguments are persuasive to anyone willing to listen.
They should have been more than sufficient to at least get meetings with the
NFL to discuss them. Poor Dr. Omalu did not understand the priorities of the
NFL. Little did he know that player safety was a very distant second to profits.
Omalu’s paper will begin a program of denial and professional disgrace that the
NFL will direct towards Omalu and Wecht. Had one more player in this drama not
entered the story, Omalu’s research may well have been buried and forgotten
until the next scientist with the right about of curiosity, ability and
integrity chose to investigate it. In this case, a new medical doctor comes
onto the scene, Dr. Julian Bailes (well played by Alec Baldwin).
Bailes is the former team-doctor to the Steelers and someone
who consider Mike Webster a friend as much as a patient. Bailes had opportunity
to personally watch Webster’s descent into madness. He also carried a burden of
guilt. This guilt stemmed from his days as the team’s doctor where he would do
everything he could to get a player back into the game as quickly as possible,
no matter the consequences. Bailes will lend his credibility and NFL
connections to Omalu’s efforts. This will result in a summit called by the NFL’s
commissioner, Roger Goodell (Luke Wilson). Omalu will not be allowed to speak,
but Bailes will. Omalu is frustrated and humiliated. But in the end, the result
is the same as if he had spoken, the NFL will publically conclude that there is
no connection between football and concussions, let alone the madness and the
CTE Omalu’s research had identified.
What will cause a sea change within the NFL or at least
within the players and their union is the growing number of suicides and insane
behavior in their retired players. It will raise eyebrows when Justin Strzelczyk
(Matthew Willig) drives his car into oncoming traffic, but it is the suicide death
by a gunshot to the head by NFL insider Dave Duerson that gets the most
attention. Duerson was not only a retired player but had in fact begun to mount
a campaign for mayor. Like other NFL insiders, he chose to ignore the evidence
and instead focused his ire at Omalu over the losses he imagined would come if
the NFL were constrained in some manner. He like others assumed there was only
one path forward, no change to current NFL policies; any other path would lead
to corporate death. When his own life became threatened by CTE, when he could
no longer assuredly control his anger, when he recognized he was a threat to
his family, he finally decided the wealth he personally gained from his
association with the NFL was too high a price to pay. Just like so many other
examples in life, one more man whose decisions in life had been guided by his
pocketbook, will too late realize that his life and that of his family faced
greater dangers by decisions made solely on the basis of greed than by making
decision on the evidence brought forth by science.
As I write above, there is much to admire about “Concussion”
and unfortunately a number of things to decry. The acting by Smith and Baldwin
is first rate; it is a major pity, Smith was not nominated for an Oscar as Best
Actor (his curious Nigerian accent notwithstanding). The best scene in the
movie is one by a river where Omalu is re-assured by his wife Prema (Gugu
Mbatha-Raw); her role is generally understated, but she provides reassurance to
Omalu throughout the movie; most especially in this scene. The editing is also
quite good. There are several storylines that must be melded seamlessly in
order to create a unified whole, and film editor William Goldenberg does a very
good job of it. The direction by Peter Landesman coupled with the
cinematography by Salvatore Totino capture in slow motion a kind of grace in
the various plays of football. It is the writing and the possible political
motivations behind it to tone down the accusations against the NFL where this
movie disappoints. With respect to the science, there is virtually none shown
or explained. We briefly see a microscopic view of a torn neuron, but no
explanation to speak of; even the pitch made by Omalu to Dekosky focuses on the
animal parallels of head butts. Given so little real science as presented in
this movie, it is no wonder, that the NFL was unconvinced.
The final scenes of this movie are where it is both successful
and a disappointment. On the one hand, the closing graphics tell us that 28% of
all NFL players will have CTEs and that the NFL settled some 5000 player
originated lawsuits over concussions with the stipulation that no admission of
a connection between concussion and player injury be made. Sounds pretty
conclusive, right? And yet when the writer/director and studio had a good
opportunity to show a picture of what was at stake, they pulled back. This
final image is of two twelve year olds playing football. They launch themselves
at one another; their heads are aimed for a horrific, but all too common collision.
The film ends without the collision. There may well be reasons not to have
staged this hit with actual actors, I understand the need for safety (and wish
the NFL did so too). But it feels like a kind of cinematic cop out. It reminds
me of the half steps this movie takes in truly taking on the NFL. I came away
partly shocked by this movie’s revelations, but mostly with the conviction that
either the NFL got to Sony, or Sony was too afraid to go after them and their
constituency.
Bottom-line: this movie is watchable, but far from a great
expose of a problem that in all probability affects every child in America
playing football. A nice aspect of the movie is watching an immigrant with such
a love for America that he will state at one point, “America is where God sent
his favorite people”; it is a thought provoking moment that stands in contrast
to the NFL’s greed. But if you want to see a truly great expose of Big Business
burying the science that exposes their unscrupulous malfeasance, go see “The
Insider”.
