When Nigerian-born forensic neuropathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu, played by Will Smith, is assigned the daunting task of finding the true cause of death of retired Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster who supposedly committed suicide, he inadvertently finds himself at war with the National Football League.

Dr. Omalu discovered chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in football players who took hits to the head throughout their career playing the sport. With this discovery, his life would never be the same. With such a large threat to their business, the NFL fought Dr. Omalu’s findings.      

“Concussion” is directed by Peter Landesman, investigative journalist and award-winning writer/director, and is a movie not made by the directing, but made by the acting. As a fan of Will Smith for as long as I can remember, he turned a cliche-filled and unimaginative storyline into a semi-decent film. Will Smith puts on a shocking performance resembling his performances in his other historic dramatic films such as “The Pursuit of Happyness” and “Seven Pounds.”    

At points, Landesman has trouble keeping the film exciting. Yes, I know a story of a doctor discovering a disease and trying to publish his work against the best wishes of a group of lawyers isn’t the most compelling storyline. Compressing years of Dr. Omalu’s career into a two-hour movie should mean two hours of exhilarating periods in Omalu’s life, but Landesman was still able to make it repetitive. The second half of the film was tiring and uneventful.

I don’t want to sway anyone away from watching this film. It is a great American story that everyone needs to know about, especially fans of football. What you learn from this film has the potential of changing someone’s life, but don’t tell me I didn’t warn you. There is nothing exciting about it, but you can learn a lot.  

“Concussion,” however, does succeed in one thing: providing the audience with the true story of Dr. Omalu and his battle with the industry that owns a day of the week. It’s a story that needs to be heard by every American. Such a historical event portrayed as a cinematic drama, the approach Landesman takes lacks character and excitement.