Years of hard blows to the head are proven to take a physical and psychological toll, as depicted in the movie “Concussion.” Based on true events, the story stars Will Smith as Pittsburgh based pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu, whose life is changed after he performs an autopsy on former Pittsburgh Steeler Mike Webster.

After a career playing in the NFL, Webster grew distant from his family due to his drug addiction, later tazing himself to death. Omalu’s fascination with Webster’s life and trauma lead to the discovery of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, also known as CTE, which is a degenerative brain disease caused by years of violent movement to the head.

This creates a firestorm between Omalu and the National Football League as they deny his claims that football has caused CTE in many of its former players.
Through the development of understanding CTE,  the NFL denied it’s existence in the media. The American people followed suit. This translated into many arguments on the screen over the diseases validity.  It dealt with many ethical questions that Americans may have to answer after seeing this movie, is there more that can be done to protect football players across all ages?

Smith delivers one of his better performances, as he is dedicated to the role of native South African Omalu. The supporting cast could have been stronger. As NFL Commissioner Roger Godell, Luke Wilson was not very convincing, along with Alec Baldwin as Dr. Julian Bailes.

Overall I would give “Concussion” a B+, due to Smith’s very convincing take on a powerful figure. “Concussion” is a great movie for football fans interested in learning about CTE or those looking for a great lead acting performance.